MORRIS, Albert John

Albert Morris was born in Kidderminster and volunteered at Brierley Hill for the South Staffords. He joined the 8th (Service) Battalion which was sent to the Ypres sector. After front line training in the trenches they were involved in an attack at Hooge and learned about the horrors of the Ypres salient. In February 1916 a major attack was planned but the enemy anticipated by striking first. Four days of bombardment from the 12th limited the scale of the attack and in what became defensive warfare the Staffords lost heavily. Private Albert Morris was killed in action on the 16th February and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial and on the Brierley Hill and Brierley Hill church Memorials.