Joseph Edwin Morgan

Memorial: Marshfield - High Street

Regiment: Royal North Lancashire

Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 34540

Parents: Charles and Ellen Morgan

Marital status: Married

Home address: Hay Street, Marshfield, Glos

Pre-war occupation: Farm Labourer

Date of birth: 1886

Place of birth: Marshfield, Glos

Date of death: 31/07/1917

Buried/Commemorated at: Hooge Crater Cemetery, Leper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Age: 31

Further information:

Joseph Edwin Morgan was born in 1886, the son of Charles and Ellen Morgan. He lived all his life in Marshfield, getting married in September 1907 and at the time of his death, his widow Alice lived in Hay Street. A farm labourer, he enlisted early on in the war and by the vagaries of Army procedures and administration found himself posted to 9th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. (Loyal) North Lancashire Regiment who were assembling on Salisbury Plain at the beginning of 1915. Early days were somewhat chaotic, with few trained officers or NCO’s

Eventually order prevailed and after inspection by Lord Kitchener in August 1915, 25 Division, of which the 9th Loyals were part were deemed ready for active service

The Regiment left Aldershot on 24 September for a three hour train journey to Folkestone. They embarked that evening and included 76 horses and mules, 5 bicycles and four Field Kitchens. Action for the Regiment began in earnest in the summer of 1916, first at Vimy Ridge and then on the Somme up until the end of October

1917 started quietly, mostly spent in the Ploegsteet sector until preparations began for the battle of Messines. By the time the 9th Loyals arrived at the front, some 8000 yards of tunnels had been constructed and 19 great mines equating to 600 tons of explosives had been laid. On 7 June at 03.10 the mines were detonated and the 9th Loyals left their trenches to attack the Wytschaete Ridge. Heavy fighting ensued, but receiving heavy and well directed artillery support, with a New Zealand division on their right and the famed 36 Ulster Division on their left, the well planned attack was one of the most successful actions of World War I. After three days in the trenches they were relieved by the 3rd Worcesters. They had lost 78 killed and 284 wounded and were withdrawn from the line and marching first to Ham en Artois and then to Rudigham, first bivouacking in an open field near Wulvergham and then went into billets in Fruges

The Regiment then took part in brigade training exercises for the forthcoming Battle of Pilkem, an early phase in the Battle of Passchendaele. The 9th Loyals were in reserve as action began and provided working parties for road building. On 31 July Private Morgan was killed on one of these working parties, probably from long range artillery fire as he worked behind the lines

He is buried at Hooge Crater Cemetery

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

http://www.marshfieldparish.org.uk/wp/marshfield-history/ww1.htm
Forces War Records and CWGC