MORRIS, Alexander
| Service Number: | 2608 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 September 1916, Enlisted at Royal Agricultural Society Showground, Moore Park, Sydney. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 37th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Erskineville, New South Wales, Australia , 27 November 1891 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer at Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops |
| Died: | Killed in action, Belgium, 10 February 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Berks Cemetery Extension |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2608, 18th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Royal Agricultural Society Showground, Moore Park, Sydney. | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2608, 37th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2608, 37th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Alexander MORRIS (Service Number 2608) was born on 27th November 1891 at Erskineville. He began work as a temporary labourer at the Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops from 26th March 1913, becoming permanent a little more than a year later. For one day (6 May 1914) the job description was changed to ‘Outdoor Labourer’, but it was from the role of ‘Labourer’ that Morris was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 20th September 1916.
Morris enlisted at the Show Ground Camp, Sydney the same day. He was married to Lillian Rosina . He claimed to be serving in the 18th Infantry, as he had done for the previous 18 months. He embarked HMAT ‘Benalla’ at Sydney on 9th November 1916 and reached Devonport (England) on 9th January 1917. At first, he was allotted to the 10th Training Battalion. He was appointed Acting Lance Corporal on 1st May. He also qualified 2nd class at the School of Musketry, Tidworth and gained a fair working knowledge of the Lewis Gun.
On 16th June, he was charged with conduct to the prejudice of Military Discipline in that he ,when acting as assistant musketry instructor at No. S102 targets, omitted to see that a rifle used by Sgt Lazarus was properly loaded, and for this he was reprimanded.
In September 1917 he proceeded overseas to France, lost his acting rank, and was taken on the strength of the 37th Battalion on 6th October. Only a week later he was wounded in action with shrapnel to his left arm. He proceeded through a series of Field Ambulances, Casualty Clearing Stations and Convalescent Depots until he was fit to re-join the Battalion on 29th December.
Morris was posted missing in action in Belgium on 10th February 1918. It was not until a Court of Enquiry held six months later in August 1918 that it was determined that he had in fact been killed in action that day. Cpl R J Jordan (1214) reported:
‘Morris was in the same night raid party in front of Warneton at Lieut. Crowe and was in my party. He got badly wounded in the side by a piece of shell. Our men carried him back and put him on top of the parapet to be taken back by the stretcher bearers as he was bleeding too badly to be carried without a stretcher. When the S/Bs came up he had disappeared. About that time a Fritz patrol was captured and I think that they may have got him away first but I consider he was too badly wounded to live in any case. I think he would be dead before they could get him to a D/S. We used to call him Alec.’
There are several similar reports, all in general agreement. However, apparently inconsistent with all of them, Morris’ body was located somewhere. A contemporary report states that he was buried in the Military Cemetery at Red Lodge, Hill 63, E of Neuve Eglises. Sh 28, but this location was not only lost, but destroyed. The Red Lodge Cemetery was later known as the Rosenberg Chateau Military Cemetery but difficulties arose in connection with its acquisition as a permanent cemetery and all the graves it contained were moved to Royal Berks Cemetery, Belgium. At this time (1930) five graves could not be located due to the original surface markings being obliterated by shell fire.
A memorial, named the Special Kipling Memorial was erected at Royal Berks.
‘To the memory of these five soldiers of the British Empire K/A in 1916 and 1918, and buried at the time in Rosenberg Chateau Military Cem and Extn. Ploegsteert, whose graves were destroyed in later battles.’ ‘THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT’.
- based on the Australian War memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.