Profile

MORRIS, William John
(Service number 80643)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank

Birth

Date 16/07/1886 Place of Birth Timaru

Enlistment Information

Date Age
Address at Enlistment Invercargill, Southland
Occupation Gardener
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Married
Next of Kin Mrs C. MORRIS (wife), care of Mrs McCurdy, James Street, Prestarville, Invercargill
Religion Presbyterian
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 42nd Reinforcements, B Company
Date 1 August 1918
Transport Tofua
Embarked From Destination
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals
Military Awards

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

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 27 December 1953 Age 67 years
Place of Death
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

William John Morris, born on 16 July 1886 at Timaru, was the son of John Morris and Harriet née Cockroft. William married Catherine McCurdy in 1914. In 1917 William was the next-of-kin for his brother Francis. John and Harriet appear to have moved to Inangahua or Reefton after Frank's birth in 1888 at Timaru. 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 William and Frank 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. William John Morris, of 42nd Reinforcements, left Invercargill for training camp on 20 May 1918

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [17 August 2019]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [14 August 2019]; Eastern Cemetery, Invercargiill, records (Invercargill City Council) [17 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, Southland Times, 21 May 1918 (Papers Past) [17 & 18 August 2019]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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