James Nelson Hunter

Nelson Hunter, was born in Wigtownshire, Scotland on 10 January 1897, the son of a John, a seaman and his wife Charlotte. The family moved to Bute Street, Belfast when Nelson was a child.  

During the First World War, he served as a seaman on HMS Duke of Cornwall, an armed boarding steamer. These vessels were employed on examination duties at sea for the purpose of enforcing the naval blockade. The great volume of traffic carried on by neutral ships made it necessary that constant checks be made to ensure that materials of benefit to the enemy were not allowed to slip through.

Towards the end of the war, in June 1918, Nelson married his neighbour Jennie Brecke, the daughter of a Norwegian shipping agent who worked as a translator at Belfast docks. Nelson and Jennie went on to have 6 children.

Jennie’s brother Edward Brecke is also on the Castleton Roll of Honour, and is likely to be in the Castleton Lanterns slides. He remains unidentified.

After the war Nelson worked as a labourer and spent some time with the Ulster Special Constabulary.  In later life he worked in York Street Railway Yard.  During the Second World War he worked on an airfield in Worksop, England.

He died on 22nd May 1983 in Belfast, where his daughter Nora remains. Thank you to Nora Hunter for the information about her beloved father.