On this day – 25 January – in 1915 L/Cpl John Morrison was killed. Just under 100 years later, John’s remains were unearthed.
Lance Corporal John Morrison was born in Tomintoul on 14 November 1885, the fourth child in a family of seven born to John and Margaret Morrison. His father was a Gamekeeper and by 1891 the family was living in The Keeper’s Lodge at Brodie Castle, Morayshire. At the age of 15, John was working as a gamekeeper in Rafford in Morayshire but just prior to the outbreak of war, he was in the Coupar Angus area.
He enlisted in the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) on 7 September 1914 and went to France on 2 December 1914 to serve in 1 Battalion. This battalion had suffered huge losses in the First Battle of Ypres during 1914.
On 25 January 1915, his battalion was involved in heavy fighting at La Bassee, described thus in the battalion war diary:
‘About 7am that day, a German deserter came in and reported an attack imminent. The German attack commenced by the explosion of a mine in the trench held by No 4 Coy under Capt. Campbell. The first line of trenches were consequently rushed by the Germans’.
John was wounded in the leg but despite this, he went to the aid of his officer who had also been wounded. John was helping him to remove his pack when he was mortally wounded.
The wounded officer, Lieutenant L H Willet, later wrote:
‘...Some gallant fellow crawled up to me shortly after I was hit and attempted to assist me off with my pack, but owing to the nature of my wound, I was unable to turn my neck sufficiently to see who it was. I heard he was hit and asked him if it was so. He replied “Yes, Sir”. When I enquired later, I received no reply, but could just touch his hand by reaching back and found that he was dead’.
A letter received by his parents from a Sergeant in 1 Black Watch declared that John ‘had died a hero’s death’. His body was not located and therefore he was commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in France.
Just under 100 years later, John’s remains were unearthed close to the Woburn Abbey Military Cemetery at Cuinchy. The discovery of a spoon bearing his regimental number at his side, together with DNA tests, enabled the identification of his body. He was reburied in the Woburn Abbey Military Cemetery on 27 July 2016, with relatives from Forres and Dingwall in attendance.
His younger brother, George, was commissioned in 6 Seaforth Highlanders in January 1916 and later married Aeneas Fraser at Blair Atholl during 1916. A Captain by 1918, he was wounded on 9 April 1918 and died of his wounds on 11 April at No 23 Casualty Clearing Station near Les Lobes.
He was posthumously awarded the MC, with an officer in his Company stating ‘we have nothing finer on all our records than George Morrison’s work on 9 and 10 April’. George is buried in Lapugnoy Military Cemetery.
Both brothers are commemorated on the Dyke War Memorial in Moray.
Above: The Medal Index Card for John Morrison