Edward Morgan (Teddy) FORD

Edward Morgan (Teddy) FORD Update Details

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FORD, Edward Morgan

Service Number:	6184
Enlisted:	13 September 1916
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	23rd Infantry Battalion
Born:	Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia, 5 February 1899
Home Town:	Leichhardt, Leichhardt, New South Wales
Schooling:	St. Joseph's Catholic School, Rozelle, and Sydney Technical High School .New South Wales, Australia
Occupation:	Clerk
Died:	Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917, aged 18 years
Cemetery:	Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Leichhardt War Memorial, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour

World War 1 Service

13 Sep 1916:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6184
31 Oct 1916:	Involvement Private, 6184, 23rd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Argyllshire embarkation_ship_number: A8 public_note: ''
31 Oct 1916:	Embarked Private, 6184, 23rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Argyllshire, Sydney

Help us honour Edward Morgan Ford's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Sydney Technical High School

Biography of PTE Edward Morgan Ford

Service Number: 6184

Edward Morgan Ford was born on the 5th of February 1899 in Merrylands NSW, Australia. (1) He grew up with a large family consisting of him, Morgan Ford (his dad), Harriet Ford (his mum) and 9 siblings, with six brothers and three sisters.(2) Edward attended Rozzelle public school, Joseph’s Catholic School and Sydney Technical High School in 1911 (3). His academic performance was not exceptional, scoring below passing marks on some of his tests. (4)

As the war in Europe intensified and Australia suffered heavy casualties on the Western Front, Edward Morgan, like many young men during that time, felt the need to serve his country. On the 29th August 1916, at the age of 17, he faked his age and enlisted in the AIF as a Private in the 23rd infantry Battalion in Moore Park. (5) His military journey began on October 30th when he embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT A8 Argyllshire after a year of training. On the 11th January 1917, they arrived in France at LarkHill, where they had further training. By March 1917, they had moved from France to England, Folkestone to join up with their unit. By the 5th of May, he was on the Front lines fighting against the Germans. (6)

During his service, Edward participated in several significant battles, including the Second Battle of Bullecourt on the Western Front (7). During this battle he was injured by German Artillery strikes, as he and his unit were engaged in flanking the right of the German lines, succeeding in gaining a foothold in the German trenches. This was a success in the Ally offensive. A couple of months later,(8) his division took part in the Battle of Broodseinde on the 4th of October 1917, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The attack of the Division was carried out by the 6th and 7th Australian brigades. His battalion was in reserve providing ammunition and digging trenches. Although the 23rd battalion didn’t participate in the actual fighting, it had suffered heavy casualties, due to German Shelling.(9) Unfortunately, one of the men who were killed on the 4th of October 1917, was Private Edward Morgan. According to Pte C.L Hughes, a witness, he was designated to a carrying party going out into the front line, when he was severely injured by a German shell. He was buried where he fell, north of the De Knoet Farm on the Broodseinde Ridge. (10) His final resting place is in the Buttes New British Cemetery in Polygon Wood, Belgium. (11)

References

1. Virtual War memorial, FORD, Edward Morgan

2. UNSW Canberra, The AIF Project, Edward Morgan Ford

3. Virtual War memorial, FORD, Edward Morgan

4. Google Drive, Edward Morgan Ford, “THS Class 1D 1914 second term.JPG” and “ “THS Class 2E 1914 second term 2 (NAA).JPG”

5. Virtual War memorial, FORD, Edward Morgan

6. NAA: B2455, Edward Morgan Ford, page 17, Casualty Form - Active Service

7. Virtual War Memorial, 23rd Infantry Battalion

8. Australian Government Department of Veterans Affairs

9. Passchendaele Archives Edward Morgan Frd

10. Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau Files. 1DRL/0428

11. Virtual War memorial, FORD, Edward Morgan

Bibliography

https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/163138

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4019049

https://archives.passchendaele.be/en/soldier/1368

https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=100991

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1045003/document/5632674.PDF

https://www.dva.gov.au/newsroom/latest-news-veterans/remembering-second-battle-bullecourt#:~:text=On%2015%20May%20the%20German,the%20Second%20Battle%20of%20Bullecourt.

Virtual
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