Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book1914, drafted to France in Nov.; killed during heavy fighting, in which his regt. was engaged at La Bassée, on 25 Jan. 1915; _unm._ A comrade wrote: "The attack was fierce, and John got a bullet in the leg. Nevertheless, he crawled to the assistance of his officer, 2nd Lieut. L. H. Willet, also wounded, and was in the act of helping him to remove his pack when fatally shot. He was promoted L.-Corpl. only a few days before." 2nd Lieut. Willet said: "Some gallant fellow crawled up to me shortly after I was hit, and attempted to assist me off with my pack, but owing to the nature of my wound, I was unable to turn my neck sufficiently round to see who it was. I heard he was hit, and asked him if it was so. He replied: 'Yes, Sir'; and when I inquired later, I received no reply, but could just touch his hand by reaching back, and found he was dead. From the sound of his voice I thought it was your brother, who was in my Platoon, and I hoped it wasn't so, and that I had made a mistake, for he was one of my most valued men.... His end was a gallant one, and his was a peaceful conclusion to a career, which, had he been spared to prolong it, he could have looked back on with the justifiable pride of one who has done his work well." His brother, George James, is a 2nd Lieut. 3/6th Seaforth Highlanders. [Illustration: =John Morrison.=] =MORROW, ROBERT, V.C.=, Private, No. 10531, 1st Battn. Princess Victoria's Royal Irish Fusiliers, _s._ of Hugh Morrow (who died 21 years ago), by his wife Margaret Jane, dau. of Isaac William Ash McKnight, Tailor; _b._ Sessia, near Newmills, East Tyrone, 28 March, 1892; educ. Carland National School, 1909; enlisted about 1910; went to the Front with his battn. on the outbreak of war, and greatly distinguished himself at Messines on 12 April, 1915, by rescuing several wounded soldiers who were lying exposed to a dreadful rain of shell and rifle fire. For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the official record stating that it was granted "For most conspicuous bravery near Messines on 12 April, 1915, when he rescued and carried successively to places of comparative safety several men who had been buried in the débris of trenches wrecked by shell fire. Private Morrow carried out this gallant work on his own initiative, and under very heavy fire from the enemy." On 25 April, barely a fortnight later, he was killed at St. Julien while in the act of again succouring the wounded. The Victoria Cross was forwarded to his mother, to whom His Majesty the King sent an autograph letter regretting that Private Morrow's death had deprived him of the pride of personally conferring the Victoria Cross, "the greatest of all distinctions." The Emperor of Russia also conferred on him the medal of St. George (3rd Class) for his "gallantry and distinguished service in the field," the War Office in forwarding the decoration stated that it was to be retained as a memorial of the deceased soldier's distinguished conduct. He was _unm._ [Illustration: =Robert Morrow.=] =MORRISON, WILLIAM=, Stoker, R.N.R., T. 1981, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914. =MORSE, GORDON THOMAS HARCOURT=, 2nd Lieut., 4th Battn. Middlesex Regt., 2nd _s._ of Lieut.-Col. Richard Edward Ricketts Morse, of Chargrove House, near Cheltenham, by his wife, Kathleen, dau. of the late Col. Neville Hill Shute (64th), North Staffordshire Regt.; _b._ Mian Meer, Punjab, India, 6 Dec. 1893; educ. Cheltenham College (Sept. 1908-Dec. 1912), and Royal Military College, Sandhurst (12 Feb. 1913-July, 1914), where he was an Hon. King's Cadet; was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 4th Middlesex Regt., 8 Aug. 1914; went to France, 12 Sept. 1914, and was killed in action at La Bassée, 13 Oct. 1914; _unm._ He was buried at Rouge-Croix, France. His Col. wrote that he was killed instantaneously being shot while leading his platoon in an attack, and that "during the short time he was with the regiment he had become popular with both officers and men." At College he rose to be a prefect, and his house-master said of him: "He was industrious at work, fearless at games, loyal to his friends, and esteemed by all." [Illustration: =Gordon Thomas H. Morse.=] =MORSE, GURTH STEPHEN=, 2nd Lieut., 34th Batty. Royal Field Artillery, yst. _s._ of Amyas Morse, of The Bourne, Bourne End, Bucks, late Superintending Engineer, Indian Public Works Department, by his wife, Rose, dau. of the late Rev. Henry John Maddock; _b._ Lahore, Punjab, India, 20 March, 1894; educ. Ashampstead, Eastbourne; Clifton College, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; gazetted 2nd Lieut. R.F.A., 18 July, 1913; went to France, 12 Sept. 1914, and died in Hospital at Bailleul, on 9 Dec. following, of wounds received in action on the 4th, while observing for his battery at Bois Grenier, near Armentières. He was buried in the Communal Cemetery, Bailleul; _unm._ [Illustration: =Gurth Stephen Morse.=] =MORTAR, GEORGE=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 10391, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =MORTIMER, HARRY BROOKS=, Private, No. 2731, 13th Battn. (Princess Louise's Kensington) The London Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of the late William Henry Mortimer, of Heaton Moor, near Stockport, by his wife, Mary Ann (Oakin Clough, Limehurst, Ashton-under-Lyne), dau. of the late Samuel Brooks; _b._ Longsight, Manchester, 31 Jan. 1883; educ. Grammar School, Longsight, and was a Manager of a Restaurant for John Lewis, Oxford Street, London. On the outbreak of war he joined the Kensingtons, 1 Sept. 1914; went to France on 3 Nov.; took part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March, 1915, and in the attack on the German position near Fromelles on 9 May, in which his Battn. most brilliantly distinguished itself, and died in No. 6 Clearing Station, Merville, 12 May, 1915, from wounds received at the latter. He was buried in Merville Cemetery; _unm._ [Illustration: =Harry Brooks Mortimer.=] =MORTON, EDGAR DOUGLAS=, Trooper, No. 1391, 1st (Service) squadron, Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles (Yeomanry), only _s._ of Edgar Morton, of The Studio, Kennington, Ashford, Kent, by his wife, Eleanor Jane, dau. of Edward John Wall, of Great Chesterford; _b._ London, 7 June, 1895; educ. Ashford Grammar School (Sept. 1906, to Easter, 1913), and on leaving there entered the Canterbury Motor Works, where he was when war broke out. He joined the Waldershare Troop of the East Kent Yeomanry, 7 Sept. 1914, and was quartered with the regt. in huts on the Military Polo Ground at Canterbury during the autumn and winter. He died in the Canterbury V.A.D. Hospital, 22 Feb. 1915, from pneumonia and pleurisy contracted while on service. He was a good all-round sportsman and a crack shot. At Ashford he was the school prefect, and Capt. of the football team, and twice won the Strathcona shooting trophy. His former Headmaster (Mr. A. S. Lamprey) wrote: "One of the best, straightest, pluckiest boys I have ever known," and Major Ff |