Kitty Morter was widowed when her husband was killed on the Somme, less than a fortnight after the battle began. His death left her alone to face the birth of their child three months later. On 20 December 1913, aged 19, she married a painter called Percy Morter. Some weeks after war broke out, in the autumn of 1914, Percy was persuaded to enlist by the music hall star, Vesta Tilley.