Name
William Morriss Armes
1872
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
12/08/1915
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lieutenant Colonel
Suffolk Regiment
5th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Searched but not found
Territorial Decoration
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HELLES MEMORIAL
Panel 46 and 47.
Turkey (including Gallipoli)
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Bishop's Stortford College Chapel Memorial, Bishop's Stortford, St Mary's Church War Memorial, Chilton, Suffolk
Pre War
William Morriss Armes (known as Morriss) was born in 1872 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, the son of William and Sarah Armes.
On the 1881 Census the family were living at St Nicholas Street, Kings Lynn, Norfolk where his father's occupation was given as as the employer of 200 hands at J P Cocoa Matting manufacturers. He was educated at Bishop's Stortford College. His father died in 1888 in Norfolk and his mother was living at Hardwick House, Sudbury, Suffolk in 1891 along with William and siblings Alice, Ethel, and Reginald and two servants.
In 1901 William was living at 10 Princeton Mansions with his brother Raymond and his occupation was described as employer in mat manufacturing. His sister Edith Chubb was titled as Head of the household and working as a clerk. His mother died in 1910 and on the 1911 Census William was living with his brother Raymond, sister Kathleen and cousin Catherine along with three servants, at Chilton House, Sudbury, Suffolk. Both William and his brother Raymond were said to be coir mat and matting manufacturers.
Wartime Service
In 1902 William was listed as a Captain in the Suffolk Regiment and later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. At the outbreak of war he was the commanding officer of the 1st/5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, a Territorial Battalion, comprising of volunteer part-time soldiers.
Six days after his division landed at Suvla Bay he was reported "wounded believed missing". Sometime later it was confirmed that he was missing, assumed killed in action on 12 August 1915 in Gallipoli. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Helles memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey.
Biography
Additional Information
Henry Joseph Thompson was appointed grantee and received £172 19s 5d pay owing. His brother Reginald John Armes, Major in His Majesty's Army, obtained probate of his estate in London on 14 September 1916 with effects of £11940 17s 3d (later re-sworn as £11873 12s 2d).
Brother Raymond Linay Armes served as Captain in the North Staffordshire Regiment and was killed in action on 9 April 1916 in Mesopotamia (Iraq). His name is commemorated on the Basra War Memorial and on the Bishop's Stortford College Memorial. Brother Reginald John Armes served with the North Staffordshire Regiment as Captain, later as Lieutenant Colonel and survived the war.
Although William should have been eligible for The British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914/1915 Star, his medal index card is blank, although it is known that he was awarded the Territorial Decoration, a UK long service military award for 20 years of territorial service.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk, www.masonicgreatwarproject.org.uk
