Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Thomas Chawner a shoe trade laster, born 1848 in Nottingham and his wife Emma, born 1849 in Leicester. James was born in 1894 in Leicester, his siblings were, Albert, born 1883, Thomas, born 1887 and William, born 1889, all his siblings were born in Leicester, in March 1901 the family home was at 148, Green Lane Road, Leicester. In April 1911 James was employed as a shoe trade finisher and was residing in the family home at The Banks, Sileby, Leics., together with his father, now a shoe trade riveter, his mother and siblings, William and Nellie, born 1892 in Leicester.