Harry Morrell Knapton
Date of birth: 31.3.1905
Date of death: 29.5.1940
Area: Knottingley
Regiment: Royal Engineers
Family information: Son of Samuel Morrill and Elizabeth Knapton
Rank: Sapper
Service number: 1911022
War Service
Sapper Harry Morrell was in actual fact Harry Morrell Knapton of the Royal Engineers. He died on 29th May 1940 aged 34 and was buried at the Dunkirk Town Cemetery Plot 2, Row 1, Joint Grave 31.
To add further to the confusion, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission he is recorded as Sapper Harry Morrell Knapton son of Samuel Morrell Knapton and Elizabeth Knapton of Knottingley.
He died on 29th May 1940, presumably in the operation known as Dynamo for the evacuation of Allied Troops from Dunkirk.
Family Life
Harry was born on 31st March 1905 and baptised on 13th December 1907 at St Botolph’s as Harry Knapton son of Elizabeth a Singlewoman, although he was registered at Pontefract as Harry Morrill Knapton. The family are difficult to follow, being recorded as Morrell or Morrill. His siblings are registered as Daisy Knapton (1898); Minley Morrill Knapton, (1903); Harry Morrill Knapton (1905); Sam Edward Morrill (1907); Mary Kathleen Morrill (1909). I cannot find a marriage, but Samuel and Elizabeth lived together at Bridge Court in the 1911 census and are both shown as single.
The father Samuel Ramskill Morrill was born in 1876 the son of John and Mary and he died in the first quarter of 1918 age 41 and his death was registered at Pontefract. It would seem that on 15th July 1919 at Christ Church, Knottingley Elizabeth Knapton married Thomas France.
Dunkirk Town Cemetery
