Morris Hall moved from Bretforton to Badsey in about 1910. Private Hall is buried in St James’ Churchyard, Badsey, in a grave maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, but is not recorded on the war memorial. It is thought that the list of names for inclusion on the war memorial was drawn up in 1919. As Private Hall did not die until 1920, his name was omitted.
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Morris Hall was born at Bretforton in 1884 and baptized in St Leonard’s Church, Bretforton. He was the fifth of 11 children of Edward and Sarah Hall. The Halls had lived in Bretforton for many generations and there appears to be no relationship between Morris’s family of Halls and the other Hall families who had moved to Badsey from Dumbleton in the 19th century.
Morris married Agnes Clara Watton (known as Clara) at Bretforton in 1909. Morris and Agnes had four sons and two daughters: Raymond Alan Roy (1909-1993), George Alfred (1911-1940), Sylvia Louisa (1913), Clifford Charles (1914), Basil Morris (1916-1982) and Beryl Madge (1918-1977). Their eldest son, Raymond, was born at Bretforton but, by the time of the 1911 census, they were living at Sharps Row in Badsey (a row of cottages demolished in the late 1940s on the site of where the Garden of Remembrance is now situated). Their second son, George Alfred, was born on 7th April, five days after the census. Morris was working as a market gardener’s labourer.
Morris enlisted as a Private with the 2nd/4th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment on 31st October 1915. He was discharged from the army at the end of June 1917 because of sickness. He died at Badsey on 9th February 1920, aged 35, and was buried in St James’ Churchyard.
Morris’ widow, Clara, was left with six children under 11. For a time the family remained living at Sharps Row, but they later moved to Silk Mill Cottages. Agnes died in 1948. All of Morris’ children remained living in the Badsey area. His second son, George, was to perish in the Second World War and is also buried in Badsey Churchyard in a Commonwealth War Graves Commission grave.