John James Morris was born in Weston Rhyn, near Oswestry, in 1895. He was the eldest child of William Morris (b 1873 in Llangedwyn) and Sarah Jane (nee Lewis, b 1871 in Morda). There would be 5 younger siblings – Sara Ellen, William, Margaret, Robert and Mary. In 1901 they were living at 51 Chirk Green, Chirk, where father William worked as a coal miner. By 1911 they had moved to Stone House, The Wern, Llanymynech, Montgomeryshire where William had changed job and was a waggoner on a local farm. John was working as a house boy.  (Carreghofa). By the time of the war his parents had moved to Oswestry living at 14 Duke Street.

He possibly joined up early in 1915 when he turned 18, joining the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, posted to 1 battalion and going over to France on 1 September 1915. At the end of May 1917 the 1 Bn KSLI had been in billets close to Béthune. On 29 May they were ordered back into the line relieving the 1 Bn Buffs in trenches to the west of Hulloch, John most likely received his fatal wound during one of 2 raids the battalion made on the 1 & 4 June. The raids were to gather intelligence, capture equipment and to destroy dug outs and machine gun emplacements. He was buried at Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe. He was hit in the back and lung by a shrapnel fragment – most likely as they returned back across no man’s land and were caught in an enemy barrage. His headstone has the inscription ‘Rest dearest son, your duty done, from all at home, love will roam’ 

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