James was born in 1898 in Stamford. In 1911 he was living with his parents James and Annie Maria and his two younger brothers Cyril aged 10 and Horace aged 7 at 4 Conduit Road, Stamford. His father was a mechanic working for an Agricultural engineering company. Both his parents were born in Grantham. They may have returned to Grantham as they had moved from there by 1916.

James married Winifred Twycross in Grantham in September 1923 and died there in 1985.