44468
MORRIS, Alfred Herbert Browse
| Service Number: | 14521 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa, 10 February 1886 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Plumber |
| Died: | Cerebro Vascular Accident, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa, 3 November 1965, aged 79 years |
| Cemetery: |
Braamfontein Cemetery, Braamfontein, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Memorials: | North Adelaide Prospect Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour, Prospect Roll of Honour G-Z WWI Board |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 14521, Reinforcements WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jul 1916: | Involvement Sapper, 14521, Field Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Vestalia embarkation_ship_number: A44 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Jul 1916: | Embarked Sapper, 14521, Field Company Engineers, HMAT Vestalia, Sydney | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sapper, 14521 | |
| 18 Feb 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sapper, 14521, Field Company Engineers |
In memory of my Great Uncle Alf...
When Alfred Herbert Browse Morris was born on 10 February 1886, in Pretoria, Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa, his father, James Huskisson Morris, was 45 and his mother, Emma Elizabeth Harley, was 32. As a young man he left South Africa and journeyed to Australia where he met and married his first wife Gertrude Emma Morris. They lived in Prospect, Adelaide, South Australia and as far as can be discovered they had one child. He divorced Gertrude in 1925 later marrying Florence Anna McAuley on 7 December 1925, in Johannesburg. Sadly they were not blessed with children... At the time of his death he was a widower living alone in Forest Hill, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa. He died on 3 November 1965, in Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa, at the age of 79, and was cremated at the Braamfontein Cemetery in Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa.
My Great Uncle Alf, brother of James Aubrey Thomas Morris and uncle to my father Frederick Arthur Harold Morris lead a reclusive life not interacting with his extended family in any meaningful manner. In fact his leaving South Africa for the distant shores of Australia was shrouded in mystery with much speculation as to his fate in WW1. I think it was generally known that he had enlisted with the Australian Army but him being so removed from the family it was always believed that he had been killed in action. He was an outsider - possibly damaged by what he endured during his service with the ANZACs!
In his later years I remember infrequently visiting him with my family who kept an eye on him as he aged... without friends and other close family members to interact with. At one time he was the Grand Master of the Freemason Lodge in his district - presumably also a source of his inspiration & companionship. I, together with my father's brother - uncle George, attended his property the night he died...
I now live in Australia together with my wife and our little family and take this opportunity to remember Uncle Alf's life and honour his service as an ANZAC!
Submitted 20 April 2024 by Frederick James Morris
Your service and sacrifice remembered always.