Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the only son of James Bancroft Ellis, a fruit grower, born 1862 in Leicestershire and his wife Ethel Sara Ellis (nee Plant, married in the 2nd quarter of 1891 in the Leicester district), born 1866 in Leicestershire. James Clive was born on the 15th July 1898 in Glenfield Leicestershire, he had one sibling, a sister Maud born 1893 in Leicestershire, in March 1901 the family home was at The Gables, Ashby Road, Glenfield, Leicestershire. In April 1911 James was residing as a border at the Old School House, Holt, Norfolk. The family later resided at The Cedars, Groby Road, Glenfield, Leicestershire. James was educated at Gresham’s School, Holt, Norfolk and University College, London. He enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers on the 3rd August 1916, obtained a commission and was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant to the Tank Corps on the 29th September 1917. He served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from the 27th January 1918, and during the retreat of the 23rd March following, after fighting with his tank until all but himself were killed or wounded, he destroyed his tank, and was making his way back to the lines when he was wounded in the leg by a sniper and taken prisoner, dying in a German Field Hospital at Villers Faucon on the 21st April 1918 from the wounds that he had received on the 23rd March. He was buried there. His Commanding Officer wrote, “Though he was only with the Battalion for a few days he had made himself thoroughly popular, and was a very promising officer.” James was unmarried. Other sources show his place of residence as 20, Reynolds Close, Hampstead Way, London NW 11.