Arthur Morris was killed on 28th October 1944 in Venray. He was a private in the 2nd Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (Service No. 4030806). He was initially buried at the Maria Regina Monastery, Stevensbeek and later transferred to the Overloon CWG Cemetery.

Family history

Arthur was born on 13th April 1910 in Quoisley, Marbury near Whitchurch on the Cheshire/Shropshire border. His parents were Tommy and Alice Morris. He was initially named Arthur Morris Barlow as he was born a month or two before his parents actually married.

Tommy was the son of Hugh and Ellen Morris (nee Brookes) who had married in 1882. Hugh was an agricultural labourer and in 1891 they were living at Moreton Wood, Moreton Say in Shropshire, just west of Market Drayton and south east of Whitchurch. They were in the same location in 1901 and 1911. They appear to have had as many as 16 children as follows: James Brooks 1877, Emily 1878; Lizzie J 1880; Nelly 1884; Tommy 1885; Cecil Ernest 1886/8, Betsy 1887, Minnie 1888/9, Hugh 1890, Frank 1891/2, Harry 1892/3, Alice Hockenhull 1894, Rhoda 1896, John Clarence 1898, Ivy 1900 and possibly also Robert 1913 who died in 1914. The first child was named John Brookes as he was born out of wedlock, though the next two also appear to be born out of wedlock but were given the name Morris. Most of the children were born in Moreton. Those born before 1888 had left home by 1901 and by 1911 only four remained at home. In 1901 it seems that Tommy was living as a farm servant in the household of Thomas Higgins, a farmer also in Moreton Wood, along with the rest of the Higgins family and four other servants.

Arthur’s mother, Alice, was the daughter of Robert and Alice Barlow (nee Croxon) who had married on 25/1/1878 in Marbury. Robert was an agricultural labourer and in 1881 they were living in Norbury, just north of Marbury. By 1891 they were living in Quoisley, Marbury and were there too in 1891 and beyond. They had children as follows, all in Marbury: Ann 1879, Lizzie 1881, Randle 1883, Robert 1885 and Alice 1887. However, another boy named Jessie Croxon, born 1871 was with them in 1881, described as their son but born well before their marriage. In 1901 Robert was still at Quoisley but was now a widower, and daughters Annie and Alice were living with him.

Tommy Morris (aged 25) married Alice Barlow (aged 23) on 2nd June 1910 in Marbury. At the time, Tommy was living at Calverhall, just north of Moreton Wood while Alice was at Quoisley.

In 1911 Thomas, Alice and Arthur were living with Alice’s widowed father, Robert Barlow, at Quoisley. Tommy was working as a waggoner on a farm.

On 14/12/1915, during WW1, Tommy Morris was conscripted into the Royal Army Service Corps as a horse driver. This was the unit responsible for keeping the British Army supplied with provisions. His poor eyesight meant he was not suitable for the infantry. His employer, farmer JW Hitchen of Quoisley, had given him a reference as follows: “I have always found Tommy Morris steady and a good horseman rider as driver.” He sailed for France on 3/3/1916 on the Marguerite. He was allowed home for a period from June to October 1917 probably due to illness as he spent 22 days in hospital with a rheumatic shoulder & leg. He was allowed home on leave for 2 weeks in November 1918 and finally demobilised 20/3/1919. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. An officer described his character as “a very decent quiet man but no intelligence and no idea of doing anything. Very willing.” He seems to have only got into trouble once when, in April 1917, he was given 3 days of heavy duty for having a dirty harness when parading on duty.

By 1921 Tommy, Alice and Arthur were in their own home, still in Quoisley, Marbury. Tommy had returned to work as an agricultural labourer, still working for JW Hitchen. They only had the one child, Arthur. They were still there in 1926, but by 1929 Tommy and Alice were at Tower Cottage Wirswall which is a small hamlet between Whitchurch and Quoisley. It is thought that around 1931 they had moved again to Broughall, just east of Whitchurch.

Military career

However, it seems that their son Arthur had joined the 1st Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry by 1930 and served in India as he was awarded the India General Service Medal and the clasp for the North West Frontier 1930-31. The latter was awarded for service during the Red Shirt and Afridi Rebellions on the North-West Frontier between 23rd April 1930 and 22nd March 1931. While the Afridi uprising was a traditional Frontier tribal revolt, the Red Shirt Rebellion was essentially political in nature, inspired by the Indian Independence movement unfolding in the rest of British India.
 
The 1st Battalion was involved as part of the original British Expeditionary Force that was sent to France at the outbreak of WW2 and was evacuated from Dunkirk. However, at some point Arthur transferred from the first to the second battalion.
 
The 2nd Battalion began the war in Jamaica, with a company detached to the Bermuda Garrison. The battalion would eventually join the 185th Infantry Brigade, which included the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment and the 1st Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment. The brigade was originally assigned to the 79th Armoured Division, but was then transferred to the 3rd British Infantry Division in April 1943, when the division was preparing to invade Sicily, until it was replaced by the 1st Canadian Infantry Division.

The battalion took part in the D-Day landings of Operation Overlord, where they failed to capture the D-Day objective of Caen due to the presence of the 21st Panzer Division. The 2nd Battalion fought in the Normandy Campaign and Operation Market Garden and the rest of the North West Europe Campaign with the British Second Army.
 
On 8th October 1944 the 2nd Battalion of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry found itself in Mook which is on the east bank of the river Meuse, south of Nijmegen and north of Overloon. The aim had been to attack the enemy to the east– but the strength of the enemy in the Reichwald Forset was too strong, so the plan was changed to head south to take Overloon, Venray and cross the Meuse at Venlo. The Battalion therefore moved down to Oeffelt then Rijkevoort, reaching there on the 12th. On the 13th they succeeded in an attack on the woods south of Overloon, reaching its forward edge, though with the loss of two officers and 17 other casualties. They remained there for the next two days. On the 16th the Battalion was charged with clearing and holding woods to the north east of Venray. However, the attack was seriously hampered by problems crossing the Molenbeek. They had to dig in overnight in open fields which were mined. It rained in torrents and they suffered casualties from heavy mortar fire as well as from mines. Despite further considerable enemy fire the following day they reached their objective but suffered 50 casualties.

On 20th October, the Battalion was relieved by the Royal Ulster Rifles and rested in the vicinity of Rouw to the north east of Overloon. They remained there until the 26th October when they returned to Venray to relieve the East Yorkshire Regiment. They suffered enemy shelling and mortar fire on the 27th without incurring casualties. However, on the 28th there was some shelling of forward companies which resulted in 5 casualties in Y Company, one of whom was Arthur Morris.
 
Arthur is commemorated on the memorial cross at Ash, just south east of Whitchurch and near the areas in which he and his family had spent their lives

Arthur’s mother, Alice Morris, died in 1941 in Broughall aged 54, before her son. The following notice appeared in the Whitchurch Herald at that time:

“Broughall
Death of Mrs A Morris – The death occurred on March 13th of Mrs Alice Morris, Broughall at the age of 54 years. A native of Marbury, she had been resident at Broughall for the past ten years and was interested in the Mothers Union and Women’s Institute. She is survived by her husband and one son. The funeral took place at the Whitchurch Burial Ground on Saturday and was conducted by the Reverend LRW Pratt. The mourners included Mr. T Morris (widower); Mrs Barlow (Aunt); Mr Morris, Ash (Brother-in-law); Mr Harold Morris, Mr and Mrs Alfred Barlow (Nephews and Nieces); Mrs Barlow (Sister-in-law); Mr and Mrs J Morris, Dark Lane; Mr and Mrs Stockton (Cousins); Mrs. Smith, Catterall Lane; Mr Wycherley Quoisley”
 
His father, Tommy Morris, died in 1953 aged 68, again in Broughall. They are both buried in Whitchurch Cemetery with their previous address given as 6 Brookstones, Broughall.

FindMyPast website: Civil and Parish Birth, Marriage and Death Records; England Census and 1939 Register Records; Military Records, Electoral Rolls; Tommy Morris’ WW1 Service Record
Forces war records
Whitchurch Museum and Archives for help with records from the Whitchurch Herald, Whitchurch Cemetery information, family research and locating family members
2nd Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry Regiment War Diaries from Traces of War Website
Other information on King’s Own Shropshire Light Infantry from Wikipedia and the National Army Museum websites

Research Iwan van Dijk, Elaine Gathercole