John Stewart Morrison died of wounds on this day in 1917.
John Morrison was born in Glasgow on17 April 1897.
His parents were Kenneth and Christina (née Stewart) Morrison of 25 Hayburn Crescent, Partickhill, Glasgow.
As a boy John attended Hillhead High School, and then went to Glasgow University.
After the outbreak of war, he stayed on at University until 1916 when, on 22nd February he was gazetted 2nd Lieutenant Scottish Rifles. He went on to serve in France and Flanders with the 2nd Bn, (90th Foot) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) from August 1916.
The 2nd Battalion, part of the 23rd Brigade in the 8th Division, landed in France in November 1914. They were to serve on the Western Front under the orders of the 23rd Brigade, 8th Division.
John joined his battalion, which had been fighting on the Somme since 1st July, in August 1916. He then served with his battalion up and down the British held Western Front approximately between Bethune, Arras and Peronne. Soon after John arrived the battalion moved south to cover Hulluch and with the division headquarters at Bernafay Wood by that October.
Now part of XIV Corps, John served with the 2nd Bttn as the Germans retired to the Hindenburg Line.
In the New Year 1917, John’s battalion was in Bouchavesnes.
To prepare for the main British effort at Arras in early April that year, pressure had to be maintained on the Germans so they could not reinforce.
(c)OpenStreetMap CC-by-SA Imagery (c)Mapbox (c) WFA contributors
John will likely have seen action at the end of March 1917, when, the 2nd Rifle Brigade, occupied Dessart Wood.
On 17 April 1917, the 2nd Bn was involved in a major raid against Vacquerie, and a relatively quiet period followed.
(c)OpenStreetMap CC-by-SA Imagery (c)Mapbox (c) WFA contributors
On 6th May, John was severely wounded and evacuated to a hospital well behind the lines at Rouen. Meanwhile, on 15 May, the 8th division (with the 2nd Bn Scottish Rifles) left the line and moved north and transferred into XV Corps reserve ahead of efforts to take the Passchendaele Ridge
Collection related to the service of Sister Gertrude May Skyring. Australian War Memorial. Picture in the Public Domain. John died in the 8th General Hospital, Rouen on 14 May 1917. He was 20 years old.
He was buried at St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen.
2nd Lieut, John Stewart Morrison, 2nd Bn, (90th Foot) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
14 May 1917
Sources:
Du Ruvigny’s Vol. V.
Scottish Census 1901
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
TrenchMapper