Morris Edward Pass

Morris Edward Pass enlisted around the 18 February 1915 and sailed with the battalion to Gallipoli. After a spell in the trenches near Helles at the end of July, the battalion returned to Lemnos and prepared for the landing at Suvla Bay. They landed on 6 August 1915 unopposed but the General Officer Commanding 11th Division, ordered that they should link with the Australians and dig in. On 9th August the battalion attacked and advanced 1000 yards before coming under heavy fire and suffering many casualties. Men of the battalion did get to within a few feet of their objective by 8 am., but could not get further. It had cost 8 officer and 150 other rank casualties. The battalion held on until 3 pm when a Turkish counter attack was launched. A gap was forced between 'B' and 'C' companies and seeing this a withdrawal of 400 yards to a more tenable position was ordered. Morris was one of the many men killed that day and he has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.

The Medal Index Card has entry into theatre - France 1/7/15 - This is incorrect and should have been Balkans 2b 1/7/1915. The 9th battalion left Liverpool on 1 July 1915 for Gallipoli, sailing on H.M. Transport, Empress of Britain. They sailed via Malta (8th July) to Alexandria (12th). After three days she sailed to Lemnos on Mudros, arriving on 18th July. One officer commented that the men were overcrowded but the greatest problem was that the liquid refreshment for officers ran out. Death notice published 10th August 1916 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “PASS. – Killed in action, August 9th, 1915, in Gallipoli, Private M. E. Pass, Sherwood Foresters. Bravely he answered his duty's call, for King and country he sacrificed all. – Father, mother, and sisters, and Joe and George (in France). Above is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918