Unidentified casualties, WW1

[daggers]

On another forum, its learned members are stumped by press reports, in Liverpool and Ireland, of the deaths in action of Captain Percy Morter, Gordon Highlanders, in December 1914, and his son 2/Lieut. Stanley Holland Morter, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, in May 1915.
One report states that the son had attended Birkenhead Institute and formerly lived in Edinburgh.
Nothing has been found for either in the War Graves Commission, death registers, medal cards, Officers Died in the Great War, or in the school's roll of honour. Censuses in England and Scotland are blank. Liverpool's Town Hall roll of honour has nothing for them.
I know we like a challenge here, so what can we do to solve this mystery? It is not uncommon for soldiers to serve under an assumed name, but would both father and son do so, and why would someone give names and a photo to the press?

[Katie]

I have searched Morter/Mortar I have also searched by date of death for the 19th December 1914 and 5th June 1915 cannot find anything resembling this Surname. I have searched Scotland and Family search site and nothing is coming up totally baffled. I will have a look in the paper tomorrow to see if a roll of honour notice was published on Anniversary of death but it looks to me as if these don't exist. I have come across other obits for Soldiers reported killed and the turn up as Prisoner of war.

[daggers]

Thanks for looking. There has been much activity on the other forum but nobody has found any trace of this father and son, apart from the newspaper reports. Opinions vary between hoax and false identity.
D

[dickiesam]

To add my small efforts...
Searched for births and marriages for both men in 'all regions' including Scotland and up to the 1911 for both men [including Scotland and Ireland]; used variations, but no hits.

In the latter census a search for Stanley Holland [no surname] turned up these:
JOHNS, Stanley Holland - 1875 - 36 - Journalist - Chorlton, Lancashire.
MARLOR, Stanley Holland - 1882 - 29 - Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire.
[His mother is a widow!]

[Katie]

The Father is recorded on Southport Civic War memorial

Capt P H MORTER Gordon Highlanders

So there seems to be a Southport Connection.

They have got to have been killed has anyone got the Southport Book that has been published about the War Memorial. I think there was one they couldn't find anything for.

Also the only Morter I can find in Southport is in 1891 and her name was Emma Morter a visitor born Greenwich.

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... rpool&st=0

Here is a link to the Topic on the Great War Forum.

[dickiesam]

RE:

Also the only Morter I can find in Southport is in 1891 and her name was Emma Morter a visitor born Greenwich.

Not sure if Ancestry have the transcription correct, but...
Ellen Agnes Morter, [u/m and 20 years old], servant for Ernest Hayes [Clerk-In-Holy Orders], is from the village of Gowran, County Kilkenny, Ireland. I pass though Gowran at least once a week!

Odd thing is, there aren't any Morters in the 1901 or 1911 Irish census.

[daggers]

That Marler looks a possible!
D

[Katie]

There are a family of Morter living over in Egremont.

Sidney Pelham Morter born Essex he was Gazetted WW1. He has a brother Allan William Morter also born Essex their mother is a widow called Maria. Maria and Allan died and both left probates.

Rule this family out there was a son called Harold T Morter but he had no siblings funny his year of birth was 1867. That's not to say he never had a child with someone else. But he died in 1930's

Oh! Well best get some housework done.

[Hilary]

Southport's Splendid Hearts by Victoria Bannister (this is the book Katie is referring to)

She states she was unable to identify from available records and as well as those listed by Gaggers adds indexes to Officers'service files. She then gives this quote from the local paper.

Southport Visiter 2 Jan 1915 (no photo)
Among the latest casualties announced is that of Captain percy Holland Morter Gordon Highlanders husband of Grace Morter Morningside Gardens Edinburgh (late of Cheshire and Birkdale) Captain Morter who was 47 years of age was killed in action in France on December 10th.
There are a number of people on the memorial who remain unidentified.


I will have a look in the Southport directories to see if I can find the Morters or something close in Birkdale.

[Katie]

So frustrating there is nothing at all for this family Ive done first name, last name, you name it I have tried it. Searched Ireland, Scotland and all I can think of. You would think with connections to the Wirral and Southport area we should be able to pick something up. Zilch Zero the proverbial Brick Wall. Either they are hiding something and don't want to be found or ?????

[dickiesam]

So frustrating there is nothing at all for this family Ive done first name, last name, you name it I have tried it. Searched Ireland, Scotland and all I can think of. You would think with connections to the Wirral and Southport area we should be able to pick something up. Zilch Zero the proverbial Brick Wall. Either they are hiding something and don't want to be found or ?????

I've just spent the last hour plus doing the same thing. Can't find a marriage for Percy and Grace anywhere, nor a birth for Stanley anywhere. Can't find a possible death for Grace or another marriage, anywhere.

I am thinking that Percy was possibly a life-long serving soldier and he married overseas, and children were born overseas. And somehow the event records slipped through a crack in the system.

[MaryA]

Places seem very far off, but just wondering if this could be any connection at all.
http://www.militarian.com/threads/kitty-morter.8726/

Liverpoolannie can usually be found around Rootschat if she is needed to answer any queries about how she came across this information, she's another who "likes her soldiers".

[daggers]

Interesting! Many similarities, but not in the dates. I have not seen anything from Liverpool Annie lately but will shake the tree and see if any apples fall.
D

[Hilary]

You're welcome to post my entry taken from Southport's Splendid Hearts on the Great War Forum.

I'll check the Southport Directories when I'm next in Crosby.

[Katie]

While at Liverpool today I looked in the Gore Directories and there is no mention of Morter apart from Sidney Pelman Morter. The obituary was only published in The Liverpool Echo and the Daily Post. No other Liverpool newspaper published which I find unusual, the soldier Theakston who appears in the obituary with the 2nd Lt was also listed in The Liverpool Daily Courier. The deaths of these two in The Daily Post records Captain Percy Holland Morter as being killed 19th December 1914. I think the Southport Visitor may have got the information from the Liverpool Echo and published because of the connection to Birkdale. I am now starting to think that this is a hoax maybe a disgruntled relative of Sidney Pelman Morter Architect. Sidney's mother died 1913 and left a will she resided in Cheshire. His brother Allan William Morter died 1916 and left a will he also resided in Cheshire. Allan at one time resided in Great Crosby he was a chartered accountant. I will have a proper look at the local casualty lists tomorrow and see if anything is reported. I am now of the opinion that these two never existed I know there is a picture but can we be 100% certain that this is 2nd-Lt Stanley Holland Morter.

[dickiesam]

It is a very odd situation. No birth for Percy or Stanley anywhere. No Percy marriage to a Grace.. And then no recorded deaths for any of the three...
Smoke and mirrors...?

[Katie]

I forgot to mention disgrunted employees.

The thing is Sidney Pelman Morter is the only Morter in the area with his mother Maria, brother Allan and a Spinster sister called Ada. He was Captain with the 4th Volunteer Brigade and he is mentioned a fair few times in the Liverpool Mercury from 1890's onwards He resided in Cheshire, don't know if he had Birkdale connections but he was a Architect (Bricks and Morter) The Big Brick Wall. He could have fell out with someone there, he was made a DSO perhaps someone not to happy with that.

[dickiesam]

He calls himself Pelham in the last census. Signs off the household form as S Pelham Morter, The Rowans, Meols, Hoylake, Cheshire.

[Katie]

Yes. I tracked back on this family to 1871 His mother was Maria and his Father was James. They ended in Liverpool in the 1891 in the Toxteth area that is the only connection to a Morter. He did have a brother who was born in 1867 but he lived till the 1930s perhaps he was disinherited?

[Hilary]

I will check that Percy Holland Morter is on the Southport War Memorial. If he is a family member has had to fill in the forms for him to be there and I believe there was a small charge as well.