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Remembered Today:

I need your help again lads and lassies.


museumtom

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I know, I have tried everything and all I get is Zero Zilch the Proverbial Brick Wall. Having a break from Captain Morter for now till I get to Liverpool.

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Just sent an inquiry to Edinburgh Archives to see if they can look in there records for Morningside Gardens.

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I don't know about you lads and lassies but I find this all very exciting. The pleasure of the chase type of thing.

Cheers, and thanks again all.

Tom.

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I've tried the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses, also Incoming Passenger lists on ancestry (in case it's a family coming in from India, etc) but there is absolutely nothing. So the only thing we have is newspaper entries. Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers?

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No I take whats in the papers with a pinch of salt but for two members of the same family reported killed something is amiss. I await a reply from Edinburgh Archives for the address mentioned.

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I'm just going to have to assume this is the work of spies until I hear otherwise.

Although even that doesn't explain why the charade was still being carried on in Southport in the early 20s!

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This may be a red herring but it has been put on a local forum as a possible clue:

http://www.militaria...ty-morter.8726/

Its author has not been around for a couple of years but I have sent a message and will report any response.

D

The birth of MORTAR, Percy E was registered at Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire in Oct-Nov-Dec 1916. The mother's maiden name was Hooley.

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Kathy's find led me to finding that Bruce Hubbard has or had a book on the Southport memorial. He is not accepting pms at present, but if he reads this, perhaps he could have a look for anything about Capt. Morter.

D

I have no idea why anyone might think I'm not accepting pms!

From Bannister's book, Southport's Splendid Hearts, page 157

Morter, Percy Holland Captain.........Gordon Highlanders kia 10.12.14

Unable to identify from available records.

(explanation of how she couldn't find him in ODGW, CWGC, Army Lists, officers' service files, or Mic)

but......

Southport Visiter 2.1.15 (no photo)

Among the latest casualties announced is that of Capt. Percy Holland Morter, Gordon Highlanders, husband of Grace Morter, Morningside gardens, Edinburgh (late of Cheshire and Birkdale). Capt. Morter, who was 47 years of age, was killed in action in France on december 10th.

That would make his birth about 1867 or thereabouts.

I am not sure that this actually advances things much though!

Bruce

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So the same information as the Liverpool Echo, except that the Echo gave the date of death as 17th December.

The Southport Visiter and the memorial both give the 10th. Is it possible then, that someone took the information from the obituary, or would someone have had to submit an application?

So Percy appeared in the Southport Visiter and the Liverpool Echo that we know of. Stanley appeared in the Irish Independent and the Liverpool Echo that we know of. I bet there would have been something in the Edinburgh paper too.

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All the papers refer to the fact that "among the latest casualties announced".

Who announced them?

Where were such lists compiled and by whom?

If we can find that out, we might be able to follow the paper trail a bit further back.

Bruce

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Name: Percy Morter

Birth Place: Derby

Death Date: 7 Jul 1916

Death Location: France & Flanders

Enlistment Location: Manchester

Rank: L/Corporal

Regiment: Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Battalion: 9th Battalion

Number: 18386

Type of Casualty: Killed in action

Theatre of War: Western European Theatre

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Sorry - meant to say this is the Percy Morter referred to by Daggers. From the 1901 census, he was born at Derby in 1892, widowed father John Robert Morter

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Kathleen Morten married Robert Eckersley in Q3/1930 in Manchester S

Kathleen Hooley married Percy Morter in Q4/1913 in Prestwich

Has to be the LNL chappie

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like most of you, I've looked at CWGC, SDGW, De Ruvigny, census etc....

No death or re-marriage record found for a Grace Morter. No will information found for either Morter. If a Captain in Dec 1914, presume the father would have been a regular soldier with LG entries for commission and promotions; nothing found. No family tree. Nothing on Findagrave.com.

If the son was an old boy at Birkenhead Inst, he's not on the roll of honour

http://www.freewebs.com/birkenheadinstitute/earlydays.htm

looking at the military records on Ancestry for "Morningside Gardens" pulls up a number of soldiers (at numbers 5, 12 and 21) but not the Morter family.

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fascinating thread

after much head-scratching and searching alongside forum members and found absouloutly zero

I have reached the conclusion he is a 1915 version of THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS

regards Ray

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From the 1915 Valuation Rolls for 18 Morningside Gardens, Edinburgh : -

Owner : Mrs. Margeret Watson Rigg

Tenant Occupiers : William Forgie, Robert John Harris, Mrs. Elizabeth Munro, Gardiner Turner and Mrs. Jessie Will

Assuming Grace Morter had stayed at this address, it would look as if she had left (possibly when her son was killed??) by the time the valuation rolls were compiled.

Douglas

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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.

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Bruce

Tried a pm again just now and got 'the member brucehubbard cannot receive any new messages', as yesterday.

Thanks anyway for the lookup.

D

Kathy

I am coming round to your opinion that there is some malice involved and we may never get to the root of this interesting exercise.

Daggers

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Seems like an opportune time to replay Tom's first few words from the OP.....

Now this may look a doddle

:)

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Sidney Pelman Morter was a Architect & Surveyor (Bricks & Morter) Proverbial Brick Wall has been constructed here.

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I'm just going to have to assume this is the work of spies until I hear otherwise.

Although even that doesn't explain why the charade was still being carried on in Southport in the early 20s!

Was there not a report in a Turkish newspaper about a Stanley Morter

Being washed ashore on Gallipoli in 1915 with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist

regards Ray

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Was there not a report in a Turkish newspaper about a Stanley Morter

Being washed ashore on Gallipoli in 1915 with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist

regards Ray

Starting to look like that isn't it?

H.C.

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