Doctor W.J.Morgan - service & casualty details sought

[clive_hughes]

Hi folks,

An Anglesey-related casualty with whom I have only got so far, as follows:

 

On two war memorials appear the following details:  W.J.Morgan RAMC, enlisted 1914, and a "Died" symbol (Llangeinwen, Anglesey).  William Morgan of 'Rogof (or Yr Ogof), "Died of the effects of the war" (Brynsiencyn, Llanidan, Anglesey - one of 5 men so described, at least 2 of whom died of TB in the early 1920s).  They are one and the same man, his family having farmed at Plas-yn-Borth in Llangeinwen in 1901 and moved to 'Rogof in the adjacent Llanidan parish by 1911.  No trace in Soldiers Died, or CWGC.  

 

William John Morgan was born about 1878 across the Menai Straits at Waenfawr, Carnarvonshire.  In 1893 it's noted that he had passed the medical examination of the Educational Institute of Scotland, and in October 1899 he was duly registered as an LRCP and LRCS Edinburgh, and a LFPS Glasgow.  He went to work for his older brother, Dr. Morgan John Morgan JP at "Castellmai", Rose Hill Street, Conway and is shown there in the 1901 Census (he was staying on the family farm in the 1911 Census).  He appears in the Medical Register for 1911 and 1915 with the Castellmai address; but is absent from the 1919 edition. 

 

And that's it.  If he served as an RAMC officer, he or his family never applied for medals (assuming he qualified for them in the first place); and whatever he died of it wasn't covered by CWGC.  One of the memorials his name appears on was the Llanidan panel of the North Wales Heroes Memorial Arch which was opened in 1923, so his death must be that year or earlier.  Not on the Conway memorial.  Not on the 1918 Anglesey Absent Voters List for the two parishes there.  

 

Can anyone help by suggesting other sources for RAMC personnel, or in any way which might advance this research please? - I know the RAMC Officers Files were gutted many years ago.  Does he appear in the Army Lists?  

 

Clive

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DavidOwen]

Clive

 

No Officer file I can find via TNA search

 

Army lists can be searched here https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/100739612 so far only had a very rudimentary look myself.

 

Good luck!

 

David

[seaJane]

@petestarling may know.

[clive_hughes]

Thanks both,

member Hywyn has struck gold in that there's an account in The Sunday Post 8 October 1916 with a sad tale.  Seems W.J.Morgan became a Captain RAMC attached Cheshire Yeomanry, but for some reason resigned his commission in March 1916 (at least, that's what I take "in March last" to mean).   Anyway, he went to Glasgow and became an employee of the Allan Line Steamship Company.  He served as ship's doctor of the SS Pretorian, a Mail Steamer out of Glasgow on the transatlantic route.   

 

On 27 September 1916 he was ashore in Glasgow and was taken by a crew member to his mother's house in Ibrox suffering from malarial fever.  He composed himself a prescription to try to get some sleep, and on its being delivered he mixed it with milk and drank it all.  Another doctor had to be called later, and found Morgan in a critical condition, suffering from pneumonia.  More medical assistance arrived, but he passed away aged 38.  The police had to be notified, but it was decided that death was due to pneumonia and overdose of farmaldahyde (?formaldehyde).  

 

The body was released for burial in North Wales, and his doctor brother put an anodyne notice of his death in the Liverpool Welsh newspaper -  he died "suddenly, after three days of suffering" in Glasgow on 4 October 1916.  Now I'll have to try to find the grave!

 

I struggled with the Harts Army List 1915 (it didn't list him as attached Cheshire Yeo.), but could anyone with access to the London Gazette and/or Monthly Army Lists note his commission dates please?

 

Clive

Edited 27 August , 2019 by clive_hughes

[Carmania]

Clive

There are burials of families who lived at Rogof, Llanidan in the cemetery of St Nidan, Llanidan, but none of them have the surname Morgan. William John Morgan is not buried there.

Aled

[HarryBrook]

As William Morgan, he was gazetted Lieutenant in the Welsh Border Mounted Brigade Field Ambulance on 16 July 1915 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29359/supplement/11042 and resigned his commission on 29 March 1916 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29523/page/3298

[petestarling]

clive, I have had a look through the BMJ Obituaries for late 1916 but can not find him and I do not have access to the Lancet.

Otherwise, I do not have anything on him amongst all my files.

[HarryBrook]

William John Morgan's brother, Dr. Morgan John Morgan J.P., died on 24 February 1936 aged 72 years, an obituary was published in the Liverpool Echo on the same day. The main facts were:- He came to Conway in 1887 to practice as a doctor (retiring in 1934), alderman and councillor in Conway for 42 years, a strong Liberal and friend of David Lloyd George, and perhaps most importantly he was a deacon of the Carmel Calvanistic Methodist Chapel of Conway since 1904. The obituary stated only that his funeral was to "take place on Thursday".

 

The funeral almost certainly took place at the above named chapel but where he was buried, assuming his remains were not cremated, is not known. It is a question of finding where burials from this chapel took place. If the burial place of Dr. M. J. M. can be found it is likely his brother Dr. W. J. M. would be at the same cemetery.

 

Perhaps Gwynedd Family History Society, or an individual member of the Society, might be able to assist in this. 

[clive_hughes]

Diolch Aled! - I've set some enquiries in motion for other burial grounds locally.

 

Petestarling - Thank you for checking that source and your files, and helping out.

 

HarryBrook - Appreciate the LG references and his brother's obituary.  I've begun to enquire with local historians in Conwy, so will add this to their fund of knowledge.  Carmel Presbyterian Chapel in Chapel Street, Conwy is a town centre building, but the aerial view does show a wooded plot behind it and adjacent to the medieval town wall, so perhaps burials did take place there.  Thanks indeed.

 

Clive