James Young was born in Riccarton, Ayrshire, in 1898, the son of Hugh Dale Young and Isabel Young (née Blair). At the time of the 1911 census, the Young family were living at No. 7A, Schooner Street on Barrow Island.  He was a Foreman Fitter at Vickers Armstrong Ltd at the Barrow in Furness Shipyard.

He was on board HMS THETIS when it sank in Liverpool Bay on 1 June 1939. He had been married to Florence Young (née Sparrow) on 10 March 1928 and was the father of Joan B Young (born 3 December 1928) and Hugh Dale Young (born 4 March 1931), who were nine and eight years old respectively at the time of their father’s death. James Young is buried in the Thorncliffe Cemetery in Barrow in Furness, Cumbria.

Note: His grave was re-discovered in 2021 by a member of the Barrow Submariners Association after his headstone, which has been laid face down for some years, was turned face up.