Morton, James Hargreaves 6 Nov 1918

[familyhistoryman]

I was involved in the research into the life of James Hargreaves Morton 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment kill 6 Nov 1918.  
 

Recently I was able to contact a distant relative she had heard that JHM was killed saving an American soldier that had been shot on the “champ de bataille”.   “JHM went out and pulled him into a trench, saving the American’s life but losing his own”. 

I am have problems accessing the war diary. Could some check to see if any of this is mention in the diaries

Many thanks, Tony

 

[clk]

Hi Tony,

As a free download (after registration) the diary is available from here.

Regards
Chris

[familyhistoryman]

Many thanks

[familyhistoryman]

Sergeant James Hargreaves Morton (No 25401) 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment was killed 6 Nov 1918. He was a talented artist and “artist” is inscribed on his headstone. Between 1899 and 1904 he attended the Royal College of Art. During the summer of 1914 he was sketching in the Lake District when his activities caught the eye of a local policeman who was convinced, he was a German spy but Morton was able to convince him that he was an artist.

 In March 1916 he appeared in front of Darwen’s Military Tribunal where he claimed that he was the only professional artist in the district and had the diploma of the Royal College of Art. He also mentioned that his work had been hung at many leading exhibitions, and his work depended upon the skill of his hands. His claim was turned down and later in the year joined the East Lancashire Regiment.

Darwen Heritage Centre will be holding a display of some of his work. The exhibition opens on 5 April 2023 at 10am and will run for the next 12 months. The Centre is opened on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10am – 3pm

Darwen Heritage Centre, Railway Road, Darwen BB3 2RG