Kammala wannan magana: An haifi James Walker a shekara ta 1764, ɗan James Walker na Innerdovat, Fife da matarsa marubuciya, Mary Leslie, 'yar ta uku ta Alexander Melville, 5th Earl na Leven. Ya shiga rundunar sojan ruwa a matsayin midshipman a cikin bindigogi 32 a ranar 18 ga Disamba, 1776, yana aiki a karkashin Kyaftin William Garnier. Ya fita zuwa Jamaica a watan Janairun 1777, amma ya koma ruwan Birtaniya don yin aiki a cikin Arewacin Arewa sannan kuma Channel Channel tare da rundunar jiragen ruwa na Sir Charles Hardy a lokacin yakin basasa.
rikicin mamayewa a shekara ta 1779. Yayin da yake aiki a Channel a 1780, "Southampton" ya kama wani jirgin ruwa na Faransa mai bindigogi 18 a Portland, tare da mutane 80 a ciki. An aika Walker don taimakawa wajen cire fursunoni, kuma bayan yin haka ya kasance a cikin jirgi don taimakawa tare da ballast da kuma famfo, kamar yadda jirgin ya kasance cikin haɗari. Duk da kokarinsa, jirgin ya nutse ba zato ba tsammani, kusan ya ɗauki Walker tare da ita. Ya kasance a cikin ruwa na minti goma kafin a ceto shi.