James Gentle's father was Scottish ship owner and broker, Thomas, and his mother was South SHields-born Jane Gentles.

James, along with his brothers Albert Edward and Thomas Edmund) entered the High School in May 1889, but they all left two years later as, according to the school's record, their father "refused to obey school rule as to absence".

It isn't clear where James went after the High School, but in 1903 he sat and passed his examination to be First Mate.

By the start of the First World War, James had become a Master Mariner and was Master of the Elswick Manor, which made a number of crossings to and from America.

On 19-Apr-1917, the ship was off the coast of France when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat. All the crew survived, although it isn't clear if James was Master of the ship at that time.

After the war, he is shown as Master of the Elswick Park, a cargo steamer,a vessel that was later to be sunk as a "blockship" to help create artifical harbours following the D-Day landings.

James captained a number of other ships, culminating in the Cargoe Steamer, SS Edencrag.

On 14-Sep-1942, shortly after leaving Gibraltar, en route to North Africa, it was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Of the 26 crew, half were lost, including James.