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Auction: 8010 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 229

A Great War Group of Three to Private A.J. Morton, Worcestershire Regiment, Killed in Action, 26.9.1915 1914 Star, with copy Bar (11988 Pte. A.J. Morton. 1/Worc:R.); British War and Victory Medals (11988 Pte. A.J. Morton. Worc.R.), 1st gilded and remnants of lacquer to last, good very fine (3) Estimate £ 160-200 11988 Private Arthur John Morton, born Birmingham, 1892; served during the Great War with the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment on the Western Front from 5.11.1914; he was killed in action whilst attached to the 2nd Battalion, 26.9.1915; on the latter date the 2nd Battalion were in action during the second day of the battle of Loos with the Official History of the War giving the following, ´´Loos the Quarries..... Carters force, instead of advancing on the Cite, was therefore ordered to carry out a renewed attack on the quarries. Various difficulties, due chiefly to the state of the trenches after the heavy rain and to the abandoned reeking gas cylinders lying in them, delayed the preparations; and in order to be up in time an attack eventually fixed to take place at 4.00pm the 2nd Worcestershire and two companies and the machine guns of the 1/KRRC with it had to move for the last part of the way over open ground. Guessing the direction of their objective by the fall of the shells of the bombardment that had been going on for two hours, the two Battalions in advance suddenly found themselves faced by the old German front trench, very deep and with very few places where it was easy to scramble out. The men could only emerge a few at a time and were further delayed by the enemy bombers working down the communication trenches from the quarries to meet them. After considerable loss of time, progress was resumed, the Worcestershires and the KRRC advancing by alternate platoons and sections, so as to ensure the fire and movement of pre war training.... in spite of heavy casualties they reached a partly dug communications trench astride the Loos-Haisnes-La Bassee road some 200 yards short of the quarries´´; the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment suffered 83 other ranks killed in this action; Morton is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Pas de Calais, France.

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