James (Jim) Ainscough was born in Yorkshire on 08 December 1933. When he was young, his father moved the Ainscough family to Deal, Kent as Jim’s father was a miner and had secured a job working in the Kent coal mines.

Jim enlisted into the Grenadier Guards and was always keen to tell that he was a member of Sergeant T Day's squad, whilst in training in 1952, and his Superintending Sergeant during that time was the infamous Ray Huggins.

When he was serving in the Grenadier Guards (1952 to 1955) he boxed for the Army, but didn’t get many fights as Henry “the hammer” Cooper, Henry’s brother (George Cooper, Henry's twin, who boxed as Jim Cooper) and Jack Gardner were also fighting for the Army at the same weight as Jim Ainscough.

On leaving his Service with the Colours Jim boxed professionally and emigrated to Canada, where he was also a lumberjack for a while, and then moved to America. On return to the United Kingdom he worked in Dagenham, before setting up his first shop in Deal, Kent. He subsequently opened a second shop in the old High Street in Folkestone, Kent where he stayed until retirement. Jim lived in Walmer, Kent.

He was a proud Grenadier and a very keen supporter of the East Kent branch for many years.

Jim Ainscough died at midday on 19 April 2014 in Deal Hospice after a long battle with cancer, bravely born. He donated his whole body to science.

He is survived by his two nieces.