Cpl 16981 John Peattie Morris

• Age: 29
• From: Hoylake, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Wednesday 18th October 1916
• Commemorated at: Warlencourt Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: V.B.24

John Peattie Morris was born in the September Qtr 1887 at Hoylake and was and baptised on the 28th Sept 1887 at Holy Trinity Church. He was the son of John Morris and his wife Margaret Jane (née Smith). His parents married on the 17th Sep 1877 at the Parish Church, Llangollen, Denbigh. John was a 30 year old golf club maker of Hoylake, father George, whilst Margaret was aged 23 of Llangollen, father William a flour merchant. They had ten children, John had older siblings Agnes, Thomas, Esther, Margaret, and Jane, and younger siblings George, Marion, Dorothy, and James. He was educated at Calday Grange Grammar School before becoming a shipping clerk. 

On the 1891 census the family are living at 218 Valentine Rd, Hoylake. 

Father John is aged 43, a golf club manufacturer b.St Andrews, Fife, mother Margaret J. is 36 b.Hoylake, children all born Hoylake, Agnes 12 a scholar, Thomas 10 a scholar, Esther 8 a scholar, Margaret S. 6 a scholar, Jane B. 5 a scholar, John P. 3, George 2, Marion 5mths, and 2 servants. 

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 20 Cable Road, Hoylake, Cheshire. 

His father John is aged 53, born in Scotland in 1848 and is a Golf Club Manufacturer. His wife Martha (Margaret) is aged 47, born 1854 in Hoylake, Cheshire. They have eight children all born in Hoylake. Agnes aged 22, born 1879, Margaret aged 17, born 1884 both have no occupation listed. Jane aged 15, born 1886, John aged 13, George aged 12, born 1889, Marion aged 10, born 1891 Dorothy aged 8, born 1893 and James aged 6, born 1895 are all still in school. 

The 1911 Census shows the family still living at 20 Cable Road. 

His father, 63, is now a golf professional at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. His mother is not in the household. Six of the children are living at home:  Agnes, 32, Jane, 25, and Dorothy, 18, have no occupation, while Marion, is a typist in the shipping trade. John, 23, and James, 16, are clerks, John in shipping and James in the corn trade.   

His brothers Thomas and George both emigrated to the United States and became golf professionals. 

John enlisted on the 31st August, 1914 at St George's Hall in Liverpool, joining the 18th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 16981. He was aged 26 years and 330 days and gave his occupation as Shipping Clerk. He was five foot, ten inches tall, weighed 154lbs, 38” chest, of fair complexion, had brown eyes, brown hair and gave his religion as Church of England. He gave his father as next of kin at 37 Church Road, Hoylake.

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. 

His service records show:

19.02.15: Appointed unpaid Lance Corporal.

06.03.15: Appointed Lance Corporal.

01.11.15: Promoted to Corporal.

07.11.15: Embarked for France with his Battalion.

28.12.15: To 97^th Field Ambulance for skin trouble and muscular strain.

29.12.15: 96^th Field Ambulance for strain.

07.01.16: Return to Duty.

11.01.16: To F.A. for Rash.

19.01.16: Return to Duty.

02.08.16: C.C.S. Bronchitis and Right Foot.

31.08.16: Granted Class 1 Proficiency of Pay.

He was killed in action on the 18th October 1916, aged 29, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

18^th Bn Diary

18^th October 1916

Attacked German trenches commencing 3.40 am. Relieved by 19^th Manchester Regt. Took up position in support Bn trenches W. of Goose Alley.

Graham Maddocks in his book Liverpool Pals gives an overview of the events of the day:

“At 3.40 am the whistles blew, and the Battalion left its assembly trenches, in three waves, approximately fifty yards apart, and began to cross No Man’s Land. Almost immediately, the German Barrage fell on the first wave and halted its advance, so that the second wave soon caught up with it. This was not a great problem at first, and the two combined waves were able to advance together for about 300 yards, whereupon they encountered the German Grid Trench system. On the right of the advance, it was found that the wire was largely intact, apart from a few gaps, and the Germans bombed and machine gunned these gaps, which prevented any further progress. Elsewhere along the trench, however, the wire was cut and there did not seem to be any serious opposition. Nevertheless, the men hesitated to jump down into the German trenches, and instead, began to filter back across to the safety of their own lines.

By this time the third wave had caught up, as had a fourth wave, which had been detailed to mop up any opposition once the trenches had fallen, and all four waves became intermingled which added to the confusion. No less than three attempts were made to try to get the men to go forward again, but each attempt became markedly less successful than its predecessor, and eventually the attack came to a standstill. Although the British assembly trenches had received the attention of the German guns, the attackers in No Mans Land had not come under any great intensity of fire up until this point.

However, once it became obvious to the Germans that the attack was disorganised and faltering, they began to fire into the massed men from the flanks. It was probably this that finally settled the issue and convinced the Pals that they could no longer gain the enemy trenches, and all four waves, now merged into one, began to retreat to their own lines. The whole attack had been an abysmal failure, and no ground had been gained at all”.               

John now rests at Warlencourt British Cemetery, France.

Warlencourt Cemetery is entirely a concentration cemetery, begun late in 1919 when graves were brought in from small cemeteries and the battlefields of Warlencourt and Le Sars.  The Graves Registration form shows graves from “Le Sars 6/1, 6/2, Hexham Road, Seven Elms”.

Graves were brought in from the original cemeteries at Hexham Road (Le Sars), and Seven Elms (Flers), as well as over 3,000 British graves due to the fighting which took place around the Butte de Warlencourt from the autumn of 1916 to the spring of 1917, and again in the German advance and retreat of 1918.   The cemetery now contains 3,505 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War, 1,823 of which are unidentified.

His Casualty Form shows Wounded in Action dated 18th October 1916, then later Wounded and Missing.  His family was notified accordingly, as enquiries were made with the International Red Cross in Geneva in hopes that John, Cpl. 16981, 4th Company, wounded and missing on 18/10/1916, had been taken prisoner.  

Mr. A. (sic, possibly his sister Agnes), from 37 Church Road, Hoylake, was informed on 24th January 1917 that they held no information on John.

A Miss May Davies (relationship unknown), of Lyndale, 31 Avenue Road, Southall, Middlesex, received a negative reply on the same date, and also to a subsequent enquiry on 26th April 1917.

On 11th March 1917 a report was received from the O/C 2nd Hants (?), stating that this soldier had been killed in action and buried, giving a map reference near Guillemont.

John earned his three medals.

His Army pay and a War Gratuity of £10 went to his sister Agnes.  

Probate 1917:- 

MORRIS John Pettie of 37 Church Road, Hoylake Cheshire corporal died 18 October 1916 in France Administration (with Will) London 4 July to Agnes Morris spinster. Effects £377 16s 7d. 

His youngest brother James served in the 2/6th K.L.R. (attached L.T.M.B.).  He was killed in action on 15th July 1917 (per CWGC record, although his parents were apparently told a different date). James was 22.  He now rests at Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentières.

The Scotsman 24th July 1917 

MORRIS - Killed in action, 18th July 1917, JAMES HUNTER MORRIS, King's Liverpool, aged 22, and on 18th October 1916, JOHN PEATTIE MORRIS, King's Liverpool Regiment, age 29, beloved sons of John Morris, The Haven, Hoylake, Cheshire.  

No pension card has been found for either son, suggesting that his parents made no application.

On the second anniversary of his death in 1918 his father placed a notice in the Liverpool Post:

“In loving memory of John Peattie Morris, killed in action October 18, 1916; also James Hunter Morris, killed in action July 16, 1917, the beloved sons of John Morris, Church Road, Hoylake.”

His father died in 1929, aged 82, and his mother in 1934 aged 80.

Permission was granted in 1919 to erect three stained glass windows in Holy Trinity Church, Hoylake, one of which was dedicated to the memory of John and James Morris. It is not known what became of the memorial windows when the church was demolished in the 1970s.

John is also commemorated on the following Memorials:

Grange Hill War Memorial, West Kirby

Holy Trinity Churchyard, Hoylake

Holy Trinity Church (now in St Hildeburgh's Church)

And on the family gravestone in Holy Trinity graveyard, Hoylake - 

                In Ever Loving Memory of...

                        ALSO HIS SONS

                 JOHN PEATTIE MORRIS

              18TH KINGS L’POOL REGT

        FELL IN FRANCE 18TH OCT. 1916

                       AGED 29 YEARS

               JAMES HUNTER MORRIS

             2/6TH KINGS L’POOL REGT

        FELL IN FRANCE 16TH JULY 1917

                       AGED 22 YEARS 

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS

Father died aged 82 on the 28th Nov 1929. 

Probate 1930:- 

MORRIS John of 18 Cable Road, Hoylake Cheshire died 28 November Administration Liverpool 30 February to George Morris, publisher, Leonard Mickle, cotton salesman, Agnes Morris spinster. Effects £15,617.  

Mother died 8th Aug 1934 aged 79. 

Probate 1934:- 

MORRIS Margaret Jane widow of 18 Cable Road, Hoylake Cheshire died 8 August Administration Liverpool 31 December to Agnes Morris spinster. Effects £2616 17s 8d. 

We currently have no further information on John Peattie Morris, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.