Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in Penola, 1st June 1897, Thomas attended the Kalangadoo School. from 1907 until 1911.

He was the grandson of prominent Kalangadoo landholder Thomas Morris, one of South Australia earliest pioneers, who built the Kalangadoo Homestead.

Thomas spent many years on his family’s Kalangadoo House property prior to enlisting.

On the 30th March 1915 Thomas Hindmarsh Morris joined the A.I.F as a private in the 10th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement.

The 7th Reinforcements embarked from Outer Harbour SA aboard the H.M.A.T. Kanowna on the 23rd June 1915. This was the last quota of reinforcements to join the 10th Battalion prior to being withdrawn from the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The 10th Battalion was heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC position, and served there until the evacuation in December.
Returning to Egypt and, in March 1916 they sailed for France and the Western Front.

From then until 1918, the battalion took part in bitter trench warfare. The battalion’s first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme valley in July.

During this period Private Morris was wounded in action on 23rd August 1916 in France, a gunshot wound to the wrist at Etaples in the Mouquet Farm conflict.

Once recovered he returned to the field with his Battalion the 184th Tunnelling Company.

The battalion also fought at Ypres in Flanders before returning to the Somme for winter. In 1917, the battalion returned to Belgium to take part in the major British offensive of that year—the Third Battle of Ypres.

In March and April 1918 they helped stop the German spring offensive and were then involved in the operations leading up to the Allied counter-stroke.

Participating in the great allied offensive of 1918, on the night of the 2nd /3rd June 1918, “Private Morris was one of a party of three men who attacked and captured three German Machine Guns in action. The first gun was rushed with the bayonet and the crew either captured or killed. The other two guns were attacked with hand grenades and the crews driven off. Throughout the action Private Morris showed great courage and dash and set a fine example to the men of his platoon who witnessed the attack . For this he was awarded the Military medal”.

On the 6th of July 1918 Private Morris received shrapnel wounds from an exploding shell and was subsequently transported to Clandon Park Hospital England.

After 1,532 days overseas on active service Private Thomas Morris returned to Australia on the 4th January 1919 to recover from his wounds and was honourably discharged medically unfit on the 9th June 1919 and awarded the following service medals:

1914—15 Star
The British War Medal
The Victory Medal
Military Medal
The Gallipoli Medallion

Upon his return he spent many years in Western Victoria where he farmed at Bamboa in Victoria.

He married Miss Ray Varcoe at Port Fairy.

This World War 1 Veteran then enlisted for WW2 at Merino, Victoria on the 17th January 1942. Private Morris served as a guard at Murchison Garrison P.O.W. camp.

Private Morris was discharged on the 15th January 1945 and received the following war medals

War Medal
Australian Service Meda

After WW2 , Thomas farmed at Mt Graham, near Mount Burr and resided at Millicent in his latter years

Thomas Morris passed away in Millicent at the age of 71 years and now lies at rest within the Millicent Cemetery.