Frank Morgan 22131 - 6 Royal Berkshire Regiment, 53 Brigade - MM 23-02-1918

[Ivor Anderson]

Frank Morgan 22131 - 6 Royal Berkshire Regiment, 53 Brigade

 

Born: Bristol, 19 November 1891 - Alfred Frank Morgan

Baptised: St Philip & St. Jacob, Bristol 3 January 1892 (Easton Road).

Parents: George William Morgan & Eliza Ball - m. St. Clements Ch, Bristol, 27-12-1886.

1901 Census: 7 Zion Road, Bristol, aged 9, parents aged 36.

1911 Census: 13 Zion Road, Stapleton, Bristol, aged 19, Fish salesman at Market. Parents both 46, 6 surviving siblings

 

From Service Record in Ancestry:

Enlisted 20 November 1915. Occ. ‘Horse driver’, aged 24. 13 Zion Road, Stapleton, Bristol. 5 feet 6 in., brown eyes, red hair. 

Home service 20-11-15 to 8-7-16

France 9-7-16 to 6-3-17

Served with 3rd, 6th & 2nd battalions during 1916.

GSW left elbow in action in the field 4-3-17 (with 2nd Batt).

Posted to 6th battalion 13 June 1917.

 

MM LG 23 February 1918, supplement 30540, p.2426, Schedule no. 140153 - War Diaries of 6 Berks. & 53 Brigade at NA:

Probably for action during Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. 6 Berks were part of an unsuccessful attack around Brewery, Meunier and Beek Houses, near POELCAPPELLE. Considerable officer casualties inc. C.O., Lt. Col. Longhurst. 5 officers killed, 5 wounded. 33 ORs killed, 155 wounded, 10 missing.

Battalion withdrew to CANE TRENCH in evening. 53 Brigade HQ moved VARNA FARM to CANAL BANK.

 

Shrapnel wound left leg France 9-11-17 ( 6th Battalion engaged in work parties in support area on 8-9 November - some gas shelling recorded on 8th).

Posted depot 5 February 1918.

Discharged 30 August 1918 ‘no longer physically fit for war service’, 26 yrs, 9m.

SWB no. 443364, reason ‘wounds’, age 26.

Entitled to MWM & VM

 

Married: 1926 (Q4) Dorothy Rubery, Alcester district, Warwickshire.

1939 Census: 11 Woodburough Street, Bristol. Alfred F., b.19 November 1891,     

                        Shopkeeper, Fish & Fruit. Wife: Dorothy b.4 December 1891, 

                        Son: Anthony Frank, b. 6 November 1929.

Died: 13 April 1950, aged 58. 11 Woodborough Street, Stapleton, Bristol. Will f/o widow - Dorothy Morgan £4524.

 

Edited 2 July , 2020 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[Ivor Anderson]

Frank Morgan's MM for Passchendaele (prob. near POELCAPPELLE on 12 October 1917):

 

Edited 2 July , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Matlock1418]

Has a Pension Ledger at WFA/Fold3  https://www.fold3.com/image/644840155

Living at 13 Zion Rd, Stapleton Rd, Bristol

Discharged 30.8.18, pension from 31.8.18 GSW knee, due to service [permanent, 30% disability, 12/- pw from 29/12/20]

Gives YoB as 1882 [which seems rather at odds with all you have put above, so seems probably erroneous]

:-) M

Edited 2 July , 2020 by Matlock1418
added link

[Ivor Anderson]

Frank Morgan's MM Index Card from NA: WO-372-23-145459 

 

[Ivor Anderson]

3 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

Gives YoB as 1882 [which seems rather at odds with all you have put above, so seems probably erroneous]

 

Thanks M.

The pension link on ancestry also gives his YOB as 1882, but I just think the clerk miscounted by 10 when subtracting his age to estimate the year of birth.

Everything else tallies with his discharge docs. on ancestry:

 

[Ivor Anderson]

Of the 6th Berkshire officers killed on 12 October 1917, Lt. Col. Longhurst & Capt. Wacher are on the Tyne Cott Memorial with no known grave (killed by shell at HQ?).

2 Lt. Geoffrey Herbert TIGAR (age 21), 2 Lt. Charles Hatt TODD (aged 33), and 2 Lt. Arthur Thomas Hornby TUNBRIDGE are also named on the Tyne Cott Memorial.

Lt. Jeakes was buried in POELCAPELLE BRITISH CEMETERY along with some ORs killed that day (attachments from CWGC site):

 

Edited 2 July , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

The War Diary for the 6th Berkshires gives 33 other ranks killed and 10 missing during October 1917. Searching the CWGC website I have found 37 6th Berkshire names of those killed on 12th October 1917. Seven are buried in POELCAPELLE BRITISH CEMETERY, but the rest are listed on the Tyne Cot Memorial (TC) to the missing with no known grave. As this was deemed an 'unsuccessful' attack it may be that many bodies could have been buried by the Germans?

 

Edited 3 July , 2020 by Ivor Anderson

[Ivor Anderson]

Crossing referencing the R. Berks. R. names on the 23-02-1918 LG with their MM record cards on NA

gives the following list (with schedule numbers) from 6th Battalion under 68/121/390:

140153 Pte. Frank Morgan 22131

140154 Sgt. G. Lawson 17560

140155 L/Cpl. C. H. Alderman 15507

140156 Pte. T. A. Fletcher 12037

140157 Pte. J. Smith 20298

140158 Pte. S. T. Williams 36498

140165 Pte. R. J. Dean 37231

140391 Sgt. A. Milgrove DCM 12056

140651 L/Cpl. J. H. Callcott 12539

There were also the following from 8 Battalion R. Berks R. (also under ref. 68/121/390): 

141222 Cpl. E. F. Wiles 17936

141223(6) L/Cpl. J. C. Enoch 21825

141224 L/Cpl. E. P. Ayres 18079

141225 Pte. H. Butcher 18571

141227 Pte. B. Butler 20148

141228 Pte. C. Millington 14891

So many consecutive schedule numbers seem to confirm that Frank was awarded his MM for the major action on 12 October 1917.

 

 

Edited 13 July , 2020 by Ivor Anderson
Additional information

[Ivor Anderson]

6 Berkshire Regiment WD pages for 12 October 1917 and casualty list for October (NA reference included below):

 

[JimWalsh]

On 13/07/2020 at 05:30, Ivor Anderson said:

Crossing referencing the R. Berks. R. names on the 23-02-1918 LG with their MM record cards on NA

gives the following list (with schedule numbers) from 6th Battalion under 68/121/390:

140153 Pte. Frank Morgan 22131

140154 Sgt. G. Lawson 17560

140155 L/Cpl. C. H. Alderman 15507

140156 Pte. T. A. Fletcher 12037

140157 Pte. J. Smith 20298

140158 Pte. S. T. Williams 36498

140165 Pte. R. J. Dean 37231

140391 Sgt. A. Milgrove DCM 12056

140651 L/Cpl. J. H. Callcott 12539

There were also the following from 8 Battalion R. Berks R. (also under ref. 68/121/390): 

141222 Cpl. E. F. Wiles 17936

141223(6) L/Cpl. J. C. Enoch 21825

141224 L/Cpl. E. P. Ayres 18079

141225 Pte. H. Butcher 18571

141227 Pte. B. Butler 20148

141228 Pte. C. Millington 14891

So many consecutive schedule numbers seem to confirm that Frank was awarded his MM for the major action on 12 October 1917.

 

 

Greetings, see my Great Uncle, John Herbert Callcott in this list. He is buried not far from here. Try as I might, I've never found a photo. Do you know if there are any photos of this battalion? Many thanks.

[wandererpaul]

No photos in the local Reading Observer, sadly.

 

This is from the above newspaper dated Saturday 2 March 1918.

 

courtesy of FMP

[JimWalsh]

That's excellent many thanks, I don't have that.

[Ivor Anderson]

Beek Houses and Meunier House and Brewery are in the centre of this late 1917 map: https://maps.nls.uk/view/101464870