James grew up at St Heliers, Jersey, where he was educated at a private school. He moved to London in 1872, where he began his medical education at University London. At the university he was house-physician to Wilson Fox and house-surgeon to John Marshall. He passed his examination with honours, taking the Gold Medal in Anatomy at the first M.B., and honours in his final M.B., B.S., in Medicine and Obstetrics in 1897. He became F.R.C.S. in 1881. After taking his degree he became demonstrator of anatomy and of practice surgery, and surgical registrar. In 1862 he was appointed assistant surgeon to Charing Cross Hospital. He became full surgeon in 1891, and thereafter in 1905 became a senior surgeon. He had been a lecturer at the hospital and the school on anatomy from 1888 to 1897, dean of the school from 1890 to 1895, pathologist 1886 to 1888, lecturer on surgery from 1896 to 1905, and on operative surgery from 1899 to 1901. He was chosen as treasurer to the school in 1906, and held the post until 1911. At the time of his death he was surgeon to the Hospital for Consumption at Brompton, consulting surgeon to Paddington Green Hospital for Children, and to the New Hospital for Women, and other hospitals on the suburbs. In addition to his hospital and private work he had been attending and operating daily at the 4th London General Hospital in his capacity of Lieutenant Colonel R.A.M.C. Lieutenant S G Vinter R.A.M.C. brought attention to James’s work as a member of the council of Epson College, stating that he has taken a keen interest in the success of the school, and had done much to raise it to the highest position it then held. James was the son of Major James Boyd, 86th Regiment, and Emma, daughter of Henry Newton, a burgess of Shrewsbury.