m0rris Posted 20 January , 2012 Share Posted 20 January , 2012 Hello! This is my first post. I am trying to gather as much information as possible about 2 of my Great Uncles. Both from Carnarvon, they joined the 16th (Pals) RWF in Llandudno in December 1914. Charles Robertson Morris gave his age as 19 when in fact it was 17. He remained with the RWF sustaining injuries in July 1917 from which he eventually died in 1920. Robert Parry Morris (1897-1917) went on to become acting Captain in the RGA by the time of his death on 27/10/17, having been awarded the MC on 4th June the same year. Previous research reveals that he was part of the Welsh (Carnarvonshire) Heavy Battery joining the 23rd Heavy Artillery Group in March 1916. At the time of death he is described as belonging to "RGA (T.F.) 1/1st Welsh Carnarfon Heavy Battery". The War Graves Commission however describe him as having belonged to 1/4th Welsh Siege Battery which did cause some confusion with the R.A. Historical Trust in Woolwich (back in 1991). A short time after that I made a poignant visit to his grave at Bedford House, Zillebeke. The first family member to do so. I really would be fascinated to see if anyone shares any of this history or could add any further facts and detail. Is it still possible to discover what the MC was awarded for? The activities of the RGA at the time of the third Ypres as well as the activities of the 16th RWF in July 1917. I have pieced most of this together from childhood memories of my grandfather - 2nd Lieut. G.E.Morris 6th RWF - Suvla Bay. All information gratefully received. Many thanks Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 20 January , 2012 Share Posted 20 January , 2012 Hello & Croeso Will! Member hywyn is your man for Caernarfon town, the RWF, and the 1/1st Welsh (Carnarvon) RGA (TF)! With those titles in your subject description I'm sure he'll be along shortly!! Meanwhile, the Welsh RGA have their own memorial near the Bangor City War Memorial if that's accessible to you. I used to know one of their WW1 Drivers (a Menai Bridge man) when I was a lad. Hwyl, Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywyn Posted 20 January , 2012 Share Posted 20 January , 2012 Hello Will Charles has papers in the 'pensions' section. They state he was wounded on 2nd Aug 1917 (Pilkem Ridge. I came across a newspaper article regarding his death in 1920 and realised that he was not officially commemorated by his country on the CWGC. I submitted relevant details via Terry Denham of this Forum to the CWGC/MoD the end result of which his name was accepted Name: MORRIS, CHARLES ROBERTSON Initials: C R Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Lance Corporal Regiment/Service: Royal Welch Fusiliers Unit Text: 16th Bn. Age: 22 Date of Death: 24/06/1920 Service No: 18691 Additional information: Son of Henry Charles Morris. N.B.: Recent research has shown that Lance Corporal Morris is buried here. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 139 Cemetery: LLANBEBLIG PUBLIC CEMETERY, CAERNARFON I have more information to give to you. When you posted 5 times you will have access to the Personal Messenger and then you can PM me your email. Hywyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywyn Posted 20 January , 2012 Share Posted 20 January , 2012 Here's a previous thread when I was trying to pin down his citation. I still haven't. Useful info there from Dick Flory http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=95184&st=0&p=889395&hl="robert%20parry%20morris"&fromsearch=1entry889395 Hywyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 21 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Hello & Croeso Will! Member hywyn is your man for Caernarfon town, the RWF, and the 1/1st Welsh (Carnarvon) RGA (TF)! With those titles in your subject description I'm sure he'll be along shortly!! Meanwhile, the Welsh RGA have their own memorial near the Bangor City War Memorial if that's accessible to you. I used to know one of their WW1 Drivers (a Menai Bridge man) when I was a lad. Hwyl, Clive Many thanks Clive. The family - 5 boys, had previously lived at Talgwynedd across the Straits from Caernarfon Castle. During the early part of the war their address is Cibyn Hall and then what is now known as Bryn Eglws in Caeathraw. At the time of joining up the 2 brothers I'm researching lived at Glenericht, Church St, Carnarvon.I've tried to spot it on "Streetview" but the camera couldn't get under the arch! Best wishes Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 21 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Hello Will Charles has papers in the 'pensions' section. They state he was wounded on 2nd Aug 1917 (Pilkem Ridge. I came across a newspaper article regarding his death in 1920 and realised that he was not officially commemorated by his country on the CWGC. I submitted relevant details via Terry Denham of this Forum to the CWGC/MoD the end result of which his name was accepted Name: MORRIS, CHARLES ROBERTSON Initials: C R Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Lance Corporal Regiment/Service: Royal Welch Fusiliers Unit Text: 16th Bn. Age: 22 Date of Death: 24/06/1920 Service No: 18691 Additional information: Son of Henry Charles Morris. N.B.: Recent research has shown that Lance Corporal Morris is buried here. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 139 Cemetery: LLANBEBLIG PUBLIC CEMETERY, CAERNARFON I have more information to give to you. When you posted 5 times you will have access to the Personal Messenger and then you can PM me your email. Hywyn Hello Hywyn This is indeed fascinating and gives me several new pieces of information. His rank and action at Pilkem Ridge. I am extremely touched that you have gone to the trouble of getting his name accepted by the CWGC/MoD. I know from memories that he suffered from shrapnel wounds to the lungs. Many thanks for this. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 21 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Here's a previous thread when I was trying to pin down his citation. I still haven't. Useful info there from Dick Flory http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=95184&st=0&p=889395&hl="robert%20parry%20morris"&fromsearch=1entry889395 Hywyn Thanks again Hywyn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywyn Posted 21 January , 2012 Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Will It was indeed shrapnel to lungs. Have you access to Ancestry? Hywyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 21 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Will It was indeed shrapnel to lungs. Have you access to Ancestry? Hywyn Yes- I joined yesterday on a pay-as-you-go basis as I have found it frustrating. A lot of blind alleys! I have the information about his wounds from memories and have not seen any military information. I do have a copy of his death certificate though. I was very pleased to find a copy of his enlistment paper from them yesterday which was,in fact, the first documentary evidence of any kind linking him to the War. As you have noticed, his death in 1920 seemed to put him outside the fold. Thanks Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywyn Posted 21 January , 2012 Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Will You now have the required number of posts to use the PM. If you want to, send me your email address by clicking on the little envelope on the left under my avatar. Here's a previous thread re Charles. An appropriate place for his photo? http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=116790 There is a Non Commemoration sub Forum on this Forum and now there is a website here http://www.infromthecold.org/war_grave_criteria.asp as you can see the cut off date for CWGC commemorations was 31/8/1921. Hywyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 21 January , 2012 Share Posted 21 January , 2012 Hi Will, Talgwynedd is now, I think, the riding stables - I and my girls had an hour's enjoyable hack there in Sept. 2009. If we'd been able to gallop and the tide was right they do a beach ride too, along towards the Newborough sands - beautiful scenery with the castle and Snowdonia to the left across the Straits, the Lleyn peninsula ahead, and the beach and Warren dunes to the right... Virtually next door is Menai Fron, the original house now gone but was the home of the Sotheby family. Young Lionel F.S.Sotheby of the Argylls was killed at Loos and left an interesting diary and letters, which have been published. His parents are buried at Llaneugrad and he has commemorations not only in a couple of locations on Anglesey but also at Eton, and a special shrine in Northamptonshire! The area of Dwyran/Llangeinwen seems to have forgotten the Morrises - no mention on the local war memorials, or the list of men who served in WW1, which is in Llangeinwen Parish Church. They weren't born on Anglesey were they? Hwyl, Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larney Posted 20 March , 2013 Share Posted 20 March , 2013 While doing a bit of research for my own county of Carmarthenshire a couple of weeks ago, I came across news of one of the former pupils of Newcastle Emlyn school who had been killed in France- Robert Parry Morris. It seems that both brothers were educated there for a couple of years while their father ran the Metropolitan Bank at Newcastle Emlyn. Neither brother is commemorated on the town memorial, but I don't know if there's anything in the school that may have them on. Cheers, SteveJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 20 March , 2013 Share Posted 20 March , 2013 Thanks for that additional post Steve! Clive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 20 May , 2013 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2013 Thanks Steve. Apologies for not replying earlier as I haven't logged in for a wee while. That's very interesting to hear your new discovery concerning my family so I'd be very grateful to know more. The 2 brothers are on the Newcastle Emlyn 1911 Census while my Grandfather had already left home to start his banking career in Pontypridd. It looks like the family then moved back to North Wales before the outbreak of war. They lived in Caernarfon, Anglesey and Caeathro, all between 1914-18. Neither brothers are on town/village memorials but are on the Ebenezer Chapel in Caernarfon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 23 March , 2020 Share Posted 23 March , 2020 On 22/01/2012 at 03:57, clive_hughes said: Hi Will, Talgwynedd is now, I think, the riding stables - I and my girls had an hour's enjoyable hack there in Sept. 2009. If we'd been able to gallop and the tide was right they do a beach ride too, along towards the Newborough sands - beautiful scenery with the castle and Snowdonia to the left across the Straits, the Lleyn peninsula ahead, and the beach and Warren dunes to the right... Virtually next door is Menai Fron, the original house now gone but was the home of the Sotheby family. Young Lionel F.S.Sotheby of the Argylls was killed at Loos and left an interesting diary and letters, which have been published. His parents are buried at Llaneugrad and he has commemorations not only in a couple of locations on Anglesey but also at Eton, and a special shrine in Northamptonshire! The area of Dwyran/Llangeinwen seems to have forgotten the Morrises - no mention on the local war memorials, or the list of men who served in WW1, which is in Llangeinwen Parish Church. They weren't born on Anglesey were they? Hwyl, Clive Hi, I live at Talgwynedd! On 23/03/2020 at 21:35, Smh said: Hi, I live at Talgwynedd! Our house is not the riding centre but we are close by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 A lovely location indeed, as I described above. You have some interesting history round there, with the Romano-British settlement at Rhuddgaer and the likely cross-Straits connection to Segontium Roman fort and Medieval Caernarfon across the water. Newborough Warren isn't far away either, Mesolithic evidence of hunter-gatherers there plus Llanddwyn Island's holy ruins, and a marvellous collection of images of the men of the parish who served in WW1 in the Pritchard-Jones Institute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Bach y Sowldiwr Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 Fascinating, in that I recognise two locations from the Parry Morris story. The road down to the Straits from Dwyran past Quirt, Rhuddgaer and the stepping stones are familiar from my childhood up there. And where the family lived in 1911 at Bank House, Newcastle Emlyn, some 8 miles from where I live now. Bank House is the other side of the street to a wonderful garden centre, Trefhedyn and an old coaching Inn, the Emlyn Arms. The boys were born in Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire according to that census. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 29 November , 2020 Author Share Posted 29 November , 2020 On 23/03/2020 at 11:35, Smh said: Hi, I live at Talgwynedd! So sorry to have only just spotted your post. That's an incredible coincidence. I found a piece in the Welsh Papers archive saying that Talgwynedd was used to house Belgian refugees earlier in the war. My grandpa lived there while recuperating after Gallipoli and his two brothers would be there on leave. His brother Robert named it as his address on the will he prepared two weeks before he was killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted 29 November , 2020 Author Share Posted 29 November , 2020 (edited) On 24/03/2020 at 09:55, Dai Bach y Sowldiwr said: Fascinating, in that I recognise two locations from the Parry Morris story. The road down to the Straits from Dwyran past Quirt, Rhuddgaer and the stepping stones are familiar from my childhood up there. And where the family lived in 1911 at Bank House, Newcastle Emlyn, some 8 miles from where I live now. Bank House is the other side of the street to a wonderful garden centre, Trefhedyn and an old coaching Inn, the Emlyn Arms. The boys were born in Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire according to that census. Thanks for that Dai - another coincidence. There were 5 brothers all educated at the tiny grammar school in the town. The two youngest brothers who died are on the memorial in the Bethel Chapel. All the boys were born in Colwyn Bay as you say, but their father was a Caernarfon man who must have intended to return one day. Will Edited 29 November , 2020 by m0rris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now