James had completed a 7-year apprenticeship with the Bacon Map company, but never received his certificate because he registered as a CO. An absolutist, court martialled at Wormwood Scrubs, he was sentenced to 18 months hard labour at Wandsworth and a further 2 years hard labour at Dartmoor (over two years) where he was allowed to do his own work as an artist and designer to support his mother.
After living in Canada and working on the Cape Times in South Africa, he returned to the UK because of ill health, and settled with his family in Sussex. He lived to be 101.