The death from serious wounds received in action on August 16th has occurred at the 14th General Hospital, France of the 2nd-Lieut. H. M. Morris, Lancashire Fusiliers, the eldest son of Mr and Mrs. S. M. Harris (step-father) of "Pyrmont", Albany Road Southport. He joined the Manchester University O.T.C. immediately on the outbreak of war, but being impatient at the length of time that would elapse before he obtained his commission, he with some of his friends joined the University and Public Schools Battalion, which was then being formed, as a private. He trained with the battalion and went out to France in 1915. He was in various engagements and was wounded at the taking of High Wood, being shot through the left arm. When sufficiently recovered from his wounds, he was transferred to the Royal Fusiliers and returning to France was sent down for his commission and transferred to the 6th Cadet Battalion at Balliol College, Oxford. Passing the various examinations he was gazetted to the Lancashire Fusiliers, with which Battalion he had been serving in France. 2nd-Lieut. Morris was seriously wounded with gunshot in the abdomen, his left knee shot through and shattered, and a portion of his thigh had been carried away with shrapnel. Mr and Mrs. Harris' second son Hector who joined the day after war broke out , has been twice wounded and is now with the British Expeditionary Force in Italy.

On the 21st July 1917, a year and a day after the 20th (Public Schools) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers had been badly mauled at High Wood, a small band of survivors sat down for lunch.

The men were eating at the Grand Hotel, Dover; a fairly grand meal for wartime of boiled Scotch salmon, roast lamb and Aylesbury duckling. There was peach melba for dessert; coffee and biscuits, and no doubt plenty of wine. The toast would undoubtedly have been to absent friends.

High Wood had cost the battalion dear. The 20th Royal Fusiliers had 139 men killed on this day and of these men, the bodies of 104 of them would never be found. In time they would be commemorated on the memorial to the missing at Thiepval.

PS/4855 Private Charles Edward Garfitt was one of the diners that day, and on the back of his menu card he asked his fellow diners to sign their names. With the exception of old soldier 8860 Sgt-Major Raven, the other diners were men like himself: public school or university educated and back in England awaiting commissions or still recovering from High Wood wounds. Hubert Morris was one of these 25 men. See the list of signatures in the gallery opposite.
https://britisharmyancestors.co.uk/blog/high-wood-1916-the-20th-royal-fusiliers/