MORRIS, Francis
(Service number 44068)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 22/05/1888 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Bluecliffs, St Andrews | ||
| Occupation | Gardener | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | William John MORRIS (brother), Elgin Street, Waikiwi, Invercargill | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 25th Reinforcements, specialist Company, Machine-Gun Section | ||
| Date | 26 April 1917 | ||
| Transport | Turakina | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Francis Morris was born on 20 May 1888 at Timaru. Although he gave his father's name as William, when he enlisted, it is thought that he was the son of John Morris and Harriet née Cockroft. No birth registration has been identified. In 1917 he named his brother William John Morris of Invercargill as his next-of-kin. John and Harriet appear to have moved to Inangahua or Reefton after Frank's birth. Another son, Thomas Henry, was born in 1892 at Reefton. Tragedy struck after Thomas' birth, when Mrs Morris took ill and died in August. The oldest son, Edward James Morris, drowned accidentally in the Inangahua River on 12 January 1894, aged just 11 years. Little Thomas died in September 1894. The family resided at Black's Point, where John was a miner. In December 1896 both Frank and William were registered at West Taieri School (Outram) under the guardianship of James Sawers. From there they were to go to the Industrial School in July 1900. Mr Frank Morris was accorded a farewell social at the Bluecliffs Hall in early December 1916, as he was about to leave with the 24th reinforcements. The 24th Reinforcements – F. Morris included - left Timaru for Trentham by the second express on 5 January 1917. They were entertained by the ladies of the Patriotic War Relief Society in Miss Read’s Stafford Tea Rooms. The 2nd (S.C.) Regimental Band was in attendance and Senior Cadets formed a cordon at the Strathallan Street crossing. He arrived back in New Zealand in October 1917, in a party of sick and wounded men. Frank Morris was a solder at camp at Devonport in 1919 and a gardener in Auckland in 1928.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [14 August 2019]; Inangahua Times, 30 & 31 August 1892, 13 January 1894 [x 2], 15 January 1894 [x 2], West Coast Times, 8 September 1892, South Canterbury Times, 12 January 1894, Timaru Herald, 4 December 1916, 5 January 1917, Evening Star, 19 October 1917 (Papers Past) [07 January 2014; 17 & 18 August 2019]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [August 2019]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.