James was the husband of Fanny and father of John Robert Ormerod, and was resident in Guisborough and working as an ironstone miner at the time of the 1911 Census. He was born in Bacup, and was the son of John and Mary Ormerod.

James first joined the Army in March 1899, when he joined the Army Service Corps in Preston. At the time of his enlistment, he gave his occupation as collier and stated that he was serving in the Militia (3rd Bn, East Lancashire Regt). He was just over 5 ft 4 in. tall and weighed 126 lbs when he joined the Army in 1899.

James served in South Africa during the Boer War (between October 1899 and February 1902), and during this time he was convicted and imprisoned for using insubordinate language to a superior officer whilst on active service. He was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with 6 clasps, and the King's South Africa Medal with 2 clasps.

James married Fanny McLean in the Parish Church in Guisborough on 3 February 1906, and they had a son, John Robert Ormerod, born on 9 August 1906.

He was discharged from the Army in March 1911, before re-enlisting at the beginning of the First World War.

Around the time of James' death, the Battalion was in trenches at Bois-Grenier, and had had a difficult time facing considerable German shelling and trench mortar fire, whilst trying to push their trenches forward, and attempting to occupy a ruined house in front of their lines, which had been used by German snipers.

On 28 May 1915 the Battalion War Diary notes: "A much quieter day + a good deal of work was done on new trench. One man killed + one wounded. Relieved by 4th K.O.Y.L.I. about 9 p.m."

On 29 May 1915 the Diary records: "In billets, resting + cleaning up after a strenuous 8 days in the trenches."