Private. D Company, 1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment. Service number 3131.

Private William James Morrison

Early life:

William was born at Bentham near Settle in the North Riding of Yorkshire. His birth was registered at Settle in the second quarter of the year.

A few years earlier in 1891, his parents James and Lucinda were living at the home of his grandparents William and Elizabeth Morrison at Cheapside in Lower Bentham. This was not far from the Low Mills Silk mill where most of the family were employed.
At that time James was single, aged 28 and employed as a Mill Hand and his future wife Lucinda Mary Haslar was also single, aged 27 and also employed as a mill hand. She was a boarder at the family home.
The marriage banns had been read at Bentham Parish Church in December 1893, James and Lucinda were married on 3rd January 1894 in Liverpool. James was a 30 year old bachelor and employed as a moulder. He was living at Low Bentham in Yorkshire. Lucinda was aged 30 and a spinster living at 3, Goldie Street in Liverpool.

They must have been living at Bentham in Yorkshire because their first son William James Morrison was born there and his birth was registered at Settle in the second quarter of the year.
They had a second son called Thomas Haslar Morrison, born either late 1895 or early 1896 as his birth was also registered at Settle.
They then moved to Keighley where they had a daughter called Lavinia, she was born here with her birth registration in the second quarter of 1899.

William’s father James died on 6th October 1908, registered in Wharfedale. He was an inmate at Menston Asylum when he died, although we don’t know how long he was there for.

In 1901, William was now seven years of age and renting number 131, Moss Carr Road from David Fairbank of Bingley, who owned the half a dozen houses in that row. Keighley with his mother Lucinda, brother Thomas aged five and sister Lavinia aged just one. William and Thomas were old enough to have attended Long Lee School, which was just five hundred yards away from their home. The family probably attended St. Barnabas Mission Church, about half a mile away and the children may also have attended Sunday school there. Baby Lavinia was just one year old at that time. Life must have been quite a struggle for Lucinda who appears to have no means of income, however she was working as a charwoman in the 1911 census, so perhaps she was managing to raise an income by cleaning in 1901 as well. She was renting number 131, Moss Carr Road from David Fairbank of Bingley, who owned the whole row of houses from 129 to 137.

In the 1911 census William was 17 years old and employed as a Borer in a machine tool maker’s shop. His brother Thomas was 15 and employed in a worsted spinning mill. Their sister Lavinia was now aged 11 and at school. Lucinda as previously mentioned, was making a living as a charwoman, although with three wages now coming into the household they would have been in a far better financial position than ten years previously.

War service:

William joined the Territorial force when he attested with the 6th Reserve Battalion West Riding Regiment at Keighley, on 27th September 1914 and aged 18 years 8 months (240 days).
His name along with his brother Thomas is recorded in ‘Keighley’s Gallant Sons’ which was a long list of Keighley’s volunteers, published in the Bradford Daily Telegraph in the summer and autumn of 1915.
He also signed for overseas service on the same date and received the Imperial Service Badge, which can be seen above his breast pocket in the photograph of him in uniform.
He was enlisted after passing his medical on the 29th September 1914 and his details were as follows: Height: 5 feet, three inches. Chest: 32 inches. Vision: Good. Physical development: Fair.
In 1915, after a period of Army training, he embarked for France at Folkestone on S.S. Onward with the 1/6th battalion, arriving in Boulogne on 14th April 1915. His name appears in the nominal roll of the 1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment.

William suffered from a couple of minor medical ailments during his service. On 13th June 1915 he was admitted with Scabies to 1/1 West Riding Field Ambulance and discharged on the same day.
On the 2nd November he was admitted with an abscess to 2/1 West Riding Field Ambulance. From here he was transferred on 5th November to the Divisional Rest Station and then rejoined his unit on 11th November.

Extracted from the war diary WO 95_2801_1 – Apr to Dec 1915

July 1915:
The battalion was serving in the trenches at the Yser Canal Bank, North of Ypres. This was varied by stints at Elverdinghe Chateau, Hull, Sarragossa, Pelissier and Modder Farms,

The next couple of months were a period of mutual attrition, which were spent enduring enemy artillery and bombing attacks. These were returned of course but it was a stationary fight with no movement of the front lines. Several men were wounded and killed during these periods. When not in the trenches they were in divisional reserve when it was of course rather quieter.

At the Divisional rest Camp, they were inspected by General Sir Herbert Plumer KCB, commanding 2nd Army on 1st September, he was accompanied by General H. Mends (secretary West Riding County Association) and Lord Scarborough, (Chairman of the West Riding County Association and Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire.)

This was followed a few days later by an inspection by Lt. General Sir J. L. Kier KCB, commanding Fourth Corps but for this the men remained in the camp lines and were inspected there.

The battalion remained in the same trench positions throughout September and October with the usual periods as reserves in the rest camps, having been relieved mostly by the 1/7th Battalion West Riding Regiment. Occasionally they suffered prolonged heavy bombardments causing a lot of trench damage and casualties which included a number of men from the Keighley area.

A number of drafts of men were added to the battalion strength during this period, mostly coming in groups of between twenty and thirty NCOs and men.

On the 27th October a selected number of 1/6th Battalion officers and men were inspected by His Majesty The King, although Sgt Rowland Hill was not named in the lists.
By the end of October they were serving in the trenches at ‘The Farms’ and suffering occasional casualties from snipers and artillery attacks.

By mid November 1915, the weather and bombardments having causing several parapet slippages, the men had to endure waist deep water and mud, many suffering from trench foot. Platoons were relieved every 24 hours with hot meals being served but the conditions appear to have been awful and regular changes of socks were mentioned in the war diary pages. Some men suffered from pneumonia and had to be evacuated.

The battalion was located at ‘Farms’ a general location to the North of Ypres and West of the Yser Canal. On the 26th of November he was killed in action by a gunshot wound to the head at 8.45 am and buried near Talana Farm, which eventually became known as Talana Farm Cemetery.

The text of the war diary on the day he died reads:

WO-95/2801/1. 1/6th Battalion West Riding war diary:

TRENCHES. 26/11/1915:
Wind NE. Situation quiet. Germans from noise, appear to be very busy working on their front line.
Very little sniping or rifle fire, artillery and trench mortars active, aeroplanes of both sides active.
Casualties:-
7.15 am: No. 1548. Private J. Turnbull, D Company. Bullet wound right hand, in sap 35.
8.45 am: No. 3131. Private W. J. Morrison, D Company, killed bullet wound in head in F34.
SFM Capt.[initialled]

Note:

Private James Turnbull was also from Keighley, his story is link from his name above. The gunshot wound to his right hand was permanent enough to see him discharged on 2nd April 1918 with a silver war badge, meaning he survived the war. He worked as a tanner and currier in Keighley for much of his life then later he was a social club steward.

Keighley News report dated 4th December 1915:

Private William James Morrison, of the 6th West Riding Regiment, has been killed in action somewhere on the western front.” He is the son of Mrs Morrison, of 131, Moss Carr, Thwaites Brow, Keighley, and enlisted in the Territorials shortly after the outbreak of war. The sad news of his death was conveyed to his mother by Second Lieutenant F. Longden Smith, who said: “I am very sorry to have to write and tell you that your son was killed this morning by a rifle bullet in the head. He lived for nearly half an hour after he was hit, but there was from the start no hope, though everything possible was done for him. He was fortunately unconscious all the time. On behalf of the officers and men I offer you my very deepest sympathy in your great loss.”
Private Morrison, who was 21 years of age, was formerly employed by Messrs. Dean, Smith & Grace. He was well known in local cricket circles, being a playing member of the Long Lee Wesleyan Cricket Club.
[A photograph also appears in this issue although they incorrectly caption him as Private W. L. Morrison.]

William had served with the West Riding Regiment for 1 year and 59 days when he was killed.

Post war:

In the 1919 Keighley electoral roll, Lucinda and Thomas were still resident at 13, Moss Carr Road but Thomas was still serving in the Army and recorded as an absent voter whilst he was away.

His mother Lucinda was his next of kin and she received his Army pay of £5.3s.6d. on 22nd February 1916. She also received his war gratuity of £4.0s.0d. paid to her on 21st June 1916.
His personal effects were also returned to her, which were: a bible, gospel, 2 diaries, 2 writing pads, cigarette case and some letters.
Lucinda also received his war medals, the first to arrive was the 1914 – 1915 Star which she signed for on 16th August 1919.
In 1920 the bronze plaque and memorial scroll were delivered to her. In 1921 she received the Victory Medal on the 7th March and the British War Medal came on 2nd June.

William’s entry in the Keighley roll of honour book.

Remembrance:

William is remembered in Keighley’s Great war Roll of Honour Book in Keighley Library, recorded as a parishioner with Long Lee Wesleyan Methodist Church and named along with his brother Thomas on the St. Barnabas Church roll of honour at Thwaites Brow, Keighley.

His brother Thomas Haslar Morrison was serving as a Driver with the Lowland Divisional Ammunition Column in Germany in May 1919. He survived the war and died in 1974.

Lucinda Morrison died aged 58 in 1922 and her death was registered in the last quarter of the year.
Lavinia married Arnold Rushton in Keighley in 1920 and they had a son called Malcolm, born in 1921.
They were living at ‘Paradise’ in Morton in the 1921 census. They were living at 65 Belgrave Road, Keighley during the 1939 register. Her husband Arnold was not present and may have been serving in the Armed forces at the time. Lavinia’s brother Thomas Haslar Morrison was living with her.
Lavinia died aged 72 in 1971.
Malcolm died aged 79 in 2000.

Source documents:

1891 England Census.
North Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1939.
Liverpool, England, Marriages and Banns, 1813-1921.
England & Wales, Free B.M.D. Birth Index, 1837-1915.
Liverpool, England, Burials, 1813-1974.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915.
1901 England Census.
West Yorkshire, England, Tax Valuation, 1910.
1911 England Census.
British Army WWI Service Records, 1914-1920.
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919.
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929.
1921 England Census.
1939 register.
England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007.
National Archives WO95 War Diaries.
British Newspaper Archive.
Keighley News archives at Keighley Library.
National Library of Scotland: Trench mapping service and Ordnance Survey Maps.