Personal Profile

Gnr. Morse, William Edward (Eddy)

Gunner

Date of Birth: Q2, 1892, Sketty
Occupation: Gardener - Domestic (1911)
Enlisted - Date: 1915
Enlisted - Loc: Swansea (SDGW)
Other service: 168280, Gnr, RFA
Date Died: 3/12/1917
How Died: Killed in Action
Awards: BWM. VIC.
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Personal Details

WORKING NOTES

Born Q2, 1892, Sketty. Parents - Edward & Suzannah Elizabeth

- Bapt 12 Jun 1892, St Pauls, Sketty. Add-Tycoch, Dads occ-Labourer

1901 - No 1 Sea View, St Pauls, Cockett. 9yo. W parents (Dad-Domestic Gardener) & 3 sibs

1911 - Hendrefoilan Bothy, Sketty. 19yo. Occ-Gardener Domestic. Lodger

1913 - Married Millicent May Edwards, Q1 Swansea

- 2x children, Millicent Ada (13/7/14) & Caroline May (16/5/16)

1917 - Killed in Action, 3 Dec 1917, Cambrai. Buried at Solferino Farm Cemetery, Belgium

Personal Info: Widow: Milicent May Morse, 12 Grove Place, Swansea
Address:
Sketty
Swansea

Military Service

No SR or Brigade Service Number

Enl poss 1915, Swansea (SDGW)

11/12/15 - 3/1st Welsh (How) Bde - Witness at trial of 1398, G Knapman

Likely later 2nd Line

Transferred from 2nd Line to 4A Res Bde (Regular Army) Woolwich, 7 Sep1916 - 168280

Killed in Action 3 Dec 1917, Cambrai. Buried at Solferino Farm Cemetery, nr Ypres, Belgium

From a family member: the family story that him and the rest of the gun crew were hit and killed by a German shell.

Letter from Lt Shackles, January 10th 1918:

Dear Mrs Morse

I am very sorry to hear that no practicalities concerning your husband's death have been sent to you.

Gnr Morse was working on a gun with two other men of the battery when a shell came over and hit the guns they were working on. I went with a party of men to see what damage had been done and found that all the three men had been hit.

Your husband had evidently been killed instantaneously and couldn't have suffered any pain at all.

All the personal belongings of your husband have been despatched to you and I expect you will have received them by the time you get this letter.

I was awfully sorry about Gnr Morse's death as he was such a good man and although he had not been with us long, he was very much liked by all the other men.

Please accept my sympathy in your great loss.

I remain, Your very sincerely, Colin L. Shackles. Lt.

- Final unit not certain - A/251 Bde (CWGC orig rcds), A/231 Bde (CWGC roll) or A/25 (PENS)

- Buried next to 755222, Bdr GB Dale of A/251 who died same day. Points towards A/251?

Addnl info: Buried at Solferino Farm Cemetery, Belgium
Final Unit: A/231 Bde (CWGC) or A/25 (PENS)
Sources: (ROLL)(MIC)(SDGW)(CWGC)(NEWS)

Explanation Of Abbreviations

Awards

  • 14/15 – 1914/15 Star
  • BWM – British War Medal
  • VIC – Victory Medal
  • SWB – Silver War Badge
  • TFEM – Territorial Force (1908-1921)
  • TEM – Territorial Efficiency Medal (1921-1930)
  • TFWM – Territorial Force War Medal

Gallantry

  • MID – Mention In Dispatches
  • LG – London Gazette
  • MM – Military Medal
  • DCM – Distinguished Conduct Medal

Sources

  • ROLL – Medal Roll for British War Medal and Victory Medal (Ancestry.co.uk)
  • MIC – Medal Index Cards (Ancestry.co.uk)
  • SR – Service Record (Ancestry.co.uk)
  • SR-F – Service Record (FindMyPast.co.uk)
  • SR-NA – Service Record (National Archives) – officers
  • COMM – Commission letters (National Library of Wales)
  • SWB – Silver War Badge Records (Ancestry.co.uk)
  • PENS – Pension Records (Western Front Association/Fold3)
  • CWGC – Commonwealth War Grave Commission
  • RAA – Royal Artillery Attestations 1883 -1942 (FindMyPast.co.uk)
  • NEWS – Newspapers
  • CENS – Census Records (Ancestry.co.uk & FindMyPast.co.uk)
  • BFB – Briton Ferry Boys at the Front Fund Committee Records (swansea.gov.uk)
  • FAM – Family Records
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