Biography of Private Joseph Morton (23649)
8th battalion Lincolnshire Regiment
Died 20th April 1917

Soldier

  • Name: Joseph Morton
  • Date of birth: 1893
  • Place of Birth: Greetham, Rutland, England
  • Date of Birth Registration: January – March 1893
  • Place of Birth Registration: Oakham, Rutland, England
Father

  • Name: Thomas Morton
  • DOB: 1858
  • Place of Birth: Pointon Fen, Lincolnshire, England
  • Occupation: Farm labourer
Mother

  • Name: Elizabeth Holmes
  • DOB: 1859
  • Place Of Birth: Witham on the Hill, Lincolnshire, England
  • Marriage: 16 May 1883 Witham on the Hill

Siblings: (Name), (DOB), (POB)

  • Alice Morton, 1884, Walcott (Died 1886)
  • Louisa Morton, 1885, Walcott
  • Robert Morton, 1886, Walcott
  • John William Morton, 1888, Walcott
  • Thomas Morton, 1889, Colsterworth
  • Sarah Ann Morton, 1891, Colsterworth
  • Joseph Morton, 1893, Greetham
  • Mary Elizabeth Morton, 1894, Greetham
  • Rachel Morton, 1896, Greetham
  • George Morton, 1898, Greetham
Census

  • 1901: Joseph is living with his parents at Shepherds Cottage, Greetham, Rutland
  • 1911: Joseph is living with the Burton family in Allington, Grantham, Lincolnshire. The census gives him an age of 18 and he is listed as a waggoner on farm.
Relatives in services

  • Joseph’s cousin Robert Booth also fought and were killed in WW1. He can be found on our page dedicated to the Horbling War Memorial.
Marriage

  • No marriage for Joseph has been found and because of his age we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.

Newspaper Mentions

  • Grantham Journal Saturday 23rd June 1917
    LINCOLNSHIRE REGIMENT CASUALTIES
    Missing – Morton, 23649, J. (Bourne)Grantham Journal Saturday 16th March 1918
    Pte. J. MORTON, of Bourne
    Pte Joseph Morton, son of Mr and Mrs Thos Morton, of Tongue End, Bourne, Is now regarded as dead. Pte Morton has been reported missing since April 28th 1917. He was in the Lincolnshire Regiment and was formerly a resident of Wood Nook, Little Ponton.

Military Records

Attestation Papers

  • None found
Soldier’s Died In The Great War

  • These records show that Private Joseph Morton, 8th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment was killed in action on 20th April 1917 in the Western European Theatre in France and Flanders.

Pension Records

  • Available

Effects Left To

  • Father Thomas

Medals

  • The British Medal
    The Victory Medal

Memorials

  • UK:
  • Bourne, Roll of Honour in Bourne Abbey Church
    Bourne War Memorial in the Memorial Gardens
  • Plaque of the men of Tongue End, Deeping St. Nicholas Methodist Church, Deeping St Nicholas

 

  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
  • In memory of Private Joseph Morton, 23649, 8th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 20 April 1917
    Remembered with honour, Arras Memorial.

© BNA

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

© Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

Military Service Timeline

  • Joseph enlisted in Grantham but the date is unknown. As he was not eligible for the 1915 star it is possible that he enlisted in late 1915 or 1916.The 8th Battalion Lincolnshire regiment has the following history, although the exact date of Joseph being posted to them is not known, we can look at where Joseph may have fought and certainly can see his last movements with the Battalion in 1917.The Battalion trained at Grimsby during August 1914, and then at Halton Park in November. The Battalion moved into billets at Leighton Buzzard for the winter of 1914In the spring of 1915 the Battalion moved to Halton Park Camp, Wendover and miniature rifle practice commenced. After completing the musketry course and a Review by Lord Kitchener, the Battalion moved to Witley Camp North, marching past His Majesty the King and Lord Kitchener, 12 August 1915.All the Battalion commanders had been in retirement at the outbreak of war. Of the 21st Division in which the 8th Lincolnshire were attached only 14 officers had any previous experience in the Regular army.The Battalion entrained for overseas service at Milford Station on 9 September 1915 leaving England the next day, sailing via Folkestone to Boulogne. For a week the Battalion stayed in the Watten area before receiving orders to move to the front.

    A long and really arduous march took place which led the Battalion to the front and their first engagement of the war, The Battle of Loos.
    During this battle an immediate gain was overturned and the highly inexperienced Battalion suffered tremendous losses.

    In their first battle the 8th Battalion lost 22 of their 24 officers. 471 other ranks were killed, wounded or missing that being nearly half of all men in the Battalion.

    The next major offensive for the Battalion was during the battle of the Somme in July 1916. The Battalion saw action in Albert, Bazentin Ridge, Fleurs-Courcelette, Morval, Gaudecourt, Transloy Ridge and eventually in November the Battle of The Ancre.

    During the spring of 1917 the German Army retreated to the heavily fortified defensive Hindenburg Line.
    When the retreat started the 21st Division were at Halloy spending a period out of the line in training exercises.

    On the first of April the Battalion attended a voluntary Church Parade at Neuville Au Cornet before the following day being route marched to Denier for an attack on a trench system. Over the next days the Battalion moved to Avesnes-le-Conte, Givenchy-le-Noble, Lattre St Quentin before arriving at Duisans to withdraw equipment ready for their move onto the assembly area at Arras.

    The Battalion entered the Battle of Arras at Battery Valley on the 9th April 1917 at 4pm digging in until 8pm.
    The Battalion moved east and halted around midnight. At daybreak considerable enemy activity was observed round Monchy-le-Preux, also enemy troops and transport moving north east from Roeux. Artillery was asked for in both cases but there was no response.

    At 9am the Battalion prepared to advance to its original objective as soon as the 111th brigade advanced on Monchy.

    At 10:30 am Major Greatwood was informed that the 8th Somerset Light Infantry were in Monchy and that he must support them. They advanced to teh valley but in this advance they suffered heavy casualties as they had no artillery support.

    At 4pm Major Greatwood issued orders to attack Monchy with the 8th Somerset on the right, Lincolns on the left. Again with no artillery support they had to dig in on high ground receiving orders to attack at dusk.
    When they had already opened out for the attack, orders arrived from Brigade cancelling the attack and consolidate the position and patrols were posted in front.

    By the end of the 10th April the Battalion had 9 officers wounded, 30 other ranks killed, 187 other ranks wounded and 8 missing.

    On the 12th the Battalion were withdrawn from the line back initially to Arras and then a day later back to billets in Duisans and the on to Beaufort on the 14th April.

    The Battalion did not return to Arras until called into reserve and bussed into the town on the 20th. Next going into the front line in the 23rd April.

    It is reasonable to assume that Joseph Morton, official date of death 20th April, was one of the wounded or more likely missing on the 10th April. The fact that he has no know grave and is listed on the Arras Memorial would point to him being one of the missing.

Sources

  • WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
    Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  • British Newspaper Archive.