Pte 24487 Charles Emmanuel Morris

His parents, both natives of Newcastle, married in 1888. His mother had a daughter, Mary Ann Wiggins, born in 1885, who was raised as Morris. They had ten children together, two of whom died young. Charles had four older sisters, Lizzie 1888, Emma 1890, Mary 1892, and Maria 1894, and five younger brothers, John Corbet, born in 1899, James Thomas 1901 (died age 4) William Albert 1903 (died age 2), George Henry 1905, and Arthur Edward 1907.

 

At the time of the 1901 census the family is living at 28 Bow Street, Newcastle, with seven children, Charles is 4. His father is a labourer in a timber yard. Also in the household are uncles James Wiggin, 37, and John Wiggin 31.

 

In 1911 his parents are living at 11 Fletcher Street, Newcastle. His father, 49, is a general labourer and his mother is 43.  Six of his siblings are at home: Lizzie, Emma, Mary, Maria, George and Arthur. His brother John, 11, is an inmate in an Industrial School in Stoke on Trent. 

 

Charles, 14, is an inmate in the Heswall Nautical School in Heswall, Cheshire.  This was a reformatory school; boys sent there had been found guilty of an offence and deemed by the magistrate to be likely to benefit from industrial or reformatory training. Most of the boys had committed some form of minor theft, minor criminal damage or minor assault.

 

Unfortunately, nothing has been found in the local newspapers to explain why Charles and his brother were sent away. The local newspaper, the Newcastle Guardian, is not available online after 1909. However, in 1908 another local boy, aged 12, was sent to a reformatory ship for five years for stealing 10 shillings.

 

The school replaced the Reformatory Ship Akbar (berthed in the Mersey from 1856 but since scrapped) and was often referred to by its former name. The new premises were certified for use as a Reformatory School for 210 boys and the school was officially opened on September 3rd, 1909.  As well as navigation, signalling, and mathematics, the boys at Heswall were taught tailoring. They could also develop musical skills in the school's military band.  The boys participated in local athletic festivals and fairs, giving displays of various drills, including the grand march-past, living pyramids, vaulting horse, etc.

In October 1910, the weekly magazine John Bull published an account of "Reformatory School Horrors — How Boys at the Akbar School are Tortured — Several Deaths". The story was based on information given to the paper by the former deputy superintendent and matron at the Heswall School.

A Government enquiry report into the management and discipline of boys committed to Heswall Nautical School for reformatory treatment was issued in February 1911. There had been, it was alleged, systematic ill-treatment of the boys by excessive and brutal floggings and illegal punishments resulting in ill health and actual death, also deliberate cruelty by semi-starvation, insufficiency of food and general neglect and violence.  No justification was found for the charge that death had followed from the caning of any boy found malingering while actually ill, or boys being gagged before being caned and birched. It was recommended that the government lay down much more specifically the exact nature of corporal punishment, the offences for which it may be given, and the conditions under which it should be administered.  

John Bull stood its ground, calling the report a "white-washing" and claiming that staff at the school who had spoken out against its principle, Captain Beuttler, had been threatened by a Home Office Inspector.  As a result of the continuing disquiet over the affair, Home Secretary Winston Churchill appointed a Departmental Committee to conduct a broad review of Reformatories and Industrial Schools. 

It is not known how long Charles spent in the reformatory school, or when he was released.

He enlisted in Liverpool, joining the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 24487. The amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in the spring of 1915, when he would have been 18 years old.

The medal roll shows that he was transferred to the 13th Bn before shipping overseas.

 

He was killed in action on 03rd May 1917, aged 20. 
 
The battalion diaries give an insight into the action that Charles Emmanuel experienced as part of 13th Btn when on 1st May 1917 they moved from Arras.

"Throughout the night of 1st /2nd May the Bosche had placed a heavy gas shell, shrapnel and high explosive barrage,on the whole area West of Monchy and the ground South of it. The Barrage threw the back area into confusion.

At 3.45 a.m. on 3 May 1917 commenced The Third Battle of The Scarpe our 3rd Barrage in spite of the Gas and lachrymatory fumes which hung about our batteries near Monachy, opened up punctually, it was followed almost immediately by the Enemy's barrage. Two Companies of the 13th moved out of the front trench. Strong Lewis Gun Fire was maintained on the Enemy's front line to prevent his escaping the barrage by leaving his trenches.

A hostile counter attack was launched at the leading Companies from the North and North  East.
It was beaten back..........A second and strong hostile Counter attack which was delivered from the Northern flank, was met very gallantly, but the line was by this time so thin, no support having come up, that a withdrawal was necessary to prevent the troops being cut off."

The Kingsmen consolidated their position, though constantly under heavy fire.

The Battalion lost 10 Officers in that attack but the Battalion Diary does not give other Ranks Casualties. However, the Brigade HQ Diary for May 1917 records total losses of the 13th King's from 2nd to 12th May 1917 as 12 Officers and 46 Other Ranks Killed in Action with 32 Missing  and 139 Wounded.

Charles Emmanuel Morris was one of those statistics.

 

His body was never found or was subsequently lost, as his name is recorded on the Arras Memorial in France.

 

The ARRAS MEMORIAL commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918. Canadian and Australian servicemen killed in these operations are commemorated by memorials at Vimy and Villers-Bretonneux. A separate memorial remembers those killed in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, with sculpture by Sir William Reid Dick. The memorial was unveiled by Lord Trenchard, Marshal of the Royal Air Force on the 31 July 1932 (originally it had been scheduled for 15 May, but due to the sudden death of French President Doumer, as a mark of respect, the ceremony was postponed until July).

 

His death was later presumed for official purposes as having occurred on or since 03rd May 1917.

 

His Army effects and a War Gratuity of £9-10s went to his father.

 

His brother John Corbitt Morris served in the 4th Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders and died from wounds on 20th July 1918.  He now rests in Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille. His military records, including CWGC, show his first name as Charles E.  Soldiers’ Effects states ‘alias’.  He  enlisted in Stoke on Trent under his older brother’s name. When he enlisted in about April 1916 he would have been 16 years old, and was 18 or just turned 19 when he died.

Linda Woodfine Michelini, one of our researchers, made contact with CWGC and we are pleased to advise that his service under the C.E. Morris name has now been amended to show ALIAS and he now has his own record as John Corbitt Morris (seved as C.E.MORRIS). CWGC also advise that they will also request a change to the headstone of C E Morris, to include his real name.  

Their father, at 17 Barley Street, Newcastle, was awarded a combined pension of 10/- a week from November 1918.

 

Charles and John are both commemorated in St. George’s Parish Church, Newcastle Under Lyme.

 

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