James McGinley was the eldest child of James (Snr) and Therese McGinley. He was a late reinforcement to the war in 1917, and, by that time, the horrors of the Western Front were well known. It must have been with great trepidation that his parents were forced to say goodbye to him when he left NZ. He was killed after not responding to a sentry's challenge. In the report of his death, it was stated that his hearing had been affected by shelling and that would possibly have been the reason he did not hear the sentry. James Snr. according to family legend, locked himself in a room for 2 days in mourning after receiving the news of his death. He was single and a much loved son and elder brother. My mother, Kathleen McGinley, had no memory of James as she was an infant at the time. In WW2, James's brother Cyril served in the Pacific.