805553 Pte. Robert Henry Morley was born in Croydon, England, on May 26th, 1887.
The son of William Morley and Mary Ann Miles, Robert, after leaving England, worked for some time in Detroit, Michigan and lived for the last 30 years of his life in the Peterborough, Ontario, area. At the time of his passing he was living in Otonabee Township, a rural address just to the east of the City of Peterborough.
At one time, Robert was an employee of Canadian General Electric in Peterborough, Ontario.
As far as his WW1 service was concerned, he attested in Port Hope, Ontario, on 14th March 1916, and was assigned to the 136th Battalion. He sailed from Halifax to Liverpool on the SS Corsican in early October 1916, whereupon he was transferred to the 39th Battalion. Then in December he was transferred to the 64th Battalion in Shoreham. From there he was transferred to the 1st Canadian Labour Battalion in December 1916 and proceeded overseas (to the European theatre of war) on 8th January 8th 1917. On 20th June 1917, he was transferred to the 4th CMR and joined them in the field on the 18th of July.
It is noted that he failed to "pay proper compliments to an officer" on 31st August 1917, and was sentenced to forfeit 3 days pay accordingly. It seems he worked at a munition dump through September and then returned to the 4th CMR. Around this time it is reported that he had been buried by a shell explosion at Vimy Ridge, and that he'd developed a stammer, unsteady gait and memory losses. On 28th October Robert was admitted to No. 5 Australian Field Ambulance and then sent on to hospital in Rouen, France on 30th October with a P.U.O., pyrexia of unknown origin - usually meaning a fever or fatigue symptoms without known cause and defying diagnosis. He was then transferred to England, to the 1st Western General Hospital in Liverpool, and then to others in Epsom and Basingstoke, where finally neurasthenia was diagnosed at the 5th Canadian General Hospital in Kirkdale in May 1918.
By now Robert had been transferred to the 1st Central Canadian Overseas Regiment (1st C.O.R.D.) and was invalided back to Canada in June 1918, where his treatment continued. He did improve slowly but was considered unfit for further service and discharged in Toronto on 16th October 1918.
Robert passed away in January, 1951, aged 63, and was survived by four siblings: three sisters, Jenny Walker of Peterborough, Ontario; Lillian Taylor of Croydon, England; Alice Hierons of Peterborough, Ontario; and a brother, William Morley of Croydon, England.
Robert Morley lies at rest in the military section of Little Lake Cemetery, Peterborough, Ontario.
Thanks are extended to Linda Heffernan for the above details and photograph, and 4cmr.com supplied further service details as they latterly became available.