De Ruvigny Roll of Honour Vol 2 page 231
William Brian Mortimer was born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne on the 6th June 1876, the second son of the late William Brook Mortimer, of Hay Carr, near Lancaster, and his wife, Caroline (9 Kensington Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne), daughter of the Reverend John Elphinstone Elliott, of Whalton, Northumberland, and brother to 2nd Lieutenant Edmund Mortimer.
He married on the 22nd October 1903 in London, Lucy, daughter of the late Charles Shuter, of Melbourne, Australia.
William originally joined the 4th Battalion (Militia) Durham Light Infantry in April 1897, and served in the South African War 1900-1901 with the Ceylon Mounted Infantry (Queen's Medal with 5 Clasps), volunteered for service on the outbreak of war, he then was gazetted a Lieutenant on the on the 4th September 1914.
He joined the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry on the 29th September.
William was invalided home in January 1915, and when recovered returned to the Battalion on the 17th May 1915.
He was killed in action, by a shot through the head by a sniper while on duty observing the result of British artillery fire on the 13th June 1915 near Ypres.
[Another report stated that the position came under retaliatory fire from the enemy and he was hit in the head by shrapnel, and died immediately].
His Company Commander wrote:-I have lost a great friend and splendid subaltern, it is such as he one seldom meets and can less be spared that any.
De Ruvigny Roll of Honour
He is remembered at Milbourne on M8.02, M8.04, Whalton W38.03 and W38.05 as well as Newcastle NUT087
