MORRISON, Clifford Vivian
| Service Number: | 68845 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 July 1918, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st to 17th (VIC) Reinforcements |
| Born: | Stanley, Victoria, 23 August 1897 |
| Home Town: | Beechworth, Indigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Beechworth State School & Swinburne Technical College |
| Occupation: | Teacher (tech drawing & art master) |
| Died: | Pneumonic influenza, Fremantle, Western Australia, 15 December 1918, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rockingham Cemetery, Western Australia Portion Presbyterian, Grave No 10 |
| Memorials: | Beechworth War Memorial, Coogee "Boonah" Tragedy Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Jul 1918: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 68845, 1st to 17th (VIC) Reinforcements, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Oct 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 68845, 1st to 17th (VIC) Reinforcements, HMAT Boonah, Adelaide |
Private Clifford Vivian Morrison
The troopship, 'Boonah' arrived back in Fremantle in 1918 bearing soldiers infected with the Spanish Flu then rampant in South Africa where the ship had docked. A number of the soldiers, quarantined at Woodman Point, and the nurses attending them died.
Clifford died from that disease on 15 December 1918 and was buried at East Rockingham cemetery the following day (Ang A1 24). He was just 21 years of age, from Stanley, Victoria.
A room in the museum at the former quarantine station, and a Boonah memorial outside the former Isolation Hospital commemorates the tragic loss of life. Clifford and other men and women were also honoured at a Boonah Century Commemoration Ceremony at the former quarantine station in December 2018.
68845 Private / C.V. Morrison / Australian Imperial Force / 15th December 1918 / Death hides / but not divides
AWM Roll of Honour, Panel 145
Lest We Forget.
Submitted 31 May 2025 by gail dodd
Biography
"Clifford Vivian Morrison was born at Stanley, Victoria, in September, 1897. His father was the late Mr. James Morrison. His mother lives at 92 Young-street, Redfern, Sydney, and a brother, Mr. J. J. Morrison, at 440 Pt. Nepean-road, Brighton. After an elementary-school education at Beechworth, Clifford Morrison attended the Beechworth High School and the Swinburne Technical College, Glenferrie. Later, he became third master at the Footscray Technical School.
Enlisting in 1918, he was sent abroad on the Boonah, which, it will be remembered, was recalled from Durban on account of the Armistice. Pneumonic influenza broke out on the homeward voyage. Private Morrison was attacked, but was convalescent when the boat reached Western Australia. He was transferred to the Quarantine Station, took a relapse, and died on the 15th of December.
As a teacher, Mr. Morrison won the highest regard of his students and fellow-workers. Mr. Hoadley, principal of the Footscray Technical School, says he was in every way an admirable assistant. From 1915 to 1918, he had charge of nearly all the junior art classes—teaching solid geometry, freehand and model drawing, and modelling, and instructing the night classes in trade drawing. He was in his spare time diligently pursuing his own higher education in building and architecture at the Working Men's College, and drawing and painting at the Melbourne Art Gallery. He was second in charge of the school cadets. The Fitzroy Technical College mourned the loss of an able and conscientious teacher, and the staff of a good friend."
Died in the Woodman Point Quarantine Station
"...63845 Private Clifford Vivian Morrison, 15th General Service Reinforcements of Footscray, Victoria. A school teacher prior to enlisting, he embarked from Adelaide aboard HMAT Boonah (A36) on 22 October 1918. During the voyage to Perth, WA, he contracted pneumonic influenza and died in the quarantine station, Woodmans Point, WA on 15 December 1918, aged 21. He is buried in the Rockingham Cemetery, Western Australia." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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