Very early 1914 Star casualty. Morris. Bristol/Pontypridd, South Wales. South Wales Borderers. KIA Battle of Aisne September 1914

Correctly named 9404 Pte G Morris S Wales Bord

George was born in Bristol and hailed from the St Phillip & St Joseph Parish. He was born in the June of 1887.

George, a pre-war soldier is recorded in 1911 as being in Pretoria, South Africa.

At some point, George is to have moved to Pontypridd and is stated as married to Florence Crowther and working as a collier.

He went overseas to France with the 1st Bn South Wales Borderers in the August of 1914, just days after Germany invaded Belgium. The South Wales Borderers baptism of fire was the Battle of the Aisne which begun on the 13th of September 1914 and lasted until the 28th of September 1914.

It is written in the book ‘British Battalions in France and Belgium 1914’ and C T Atkinsons War History of the South Wales Borderers that much hand to hand fighting took place – the men picking up any weapon available with one menusing a table fork.

George was killed in action on the 26th of September 1914 in Vendress after just 44 days in country. Of that day, one officer recorded:

26th Saturday 

The most ghastly day of my life and yet one of the proudest because my regiment did its job and held on against heavy odds. 

At 4:15am Germans attacked. 

Main attack apparently against my regiment, which is the left of our line. D @ A companies in the trenches and B & C hustled up to support, and soon the whole place was alive with bullets. News comes that they are trying to work around our left. The CO asked the Welsh Regiment to deal with this, which it did. Poor D company had to face the music more than anyone else. Presently news comes in that the Germans are in a quarry in the middle of our line. i.e. that our line was pierced. C company drove them clean out. About 3pm things began to quieten down. B & A companies had done their share of the work on their left and right, we were able to re-organise more or less except for D company’s far advanced trenches. 

86 men killed 

95 men wounded 

12 men missing 

The 12 men were of D company and apparently surrendered. May they be spared to reach England and be tried by Court Martial and get what they deserve. 

Never has the 24th surrendered yet and in spite of casualties, the rest stuck to it and fought as Englishmen and 24th men could fight. 

We are now left with 3 officers in each 3 companies and only 2 in the 4th company instead of 6 in each. 

A sad, sad business but everyone played up and as the French say ‘Qui perd gagne’ (what loses wins)

We have lost men and officers but again won a name for doing what is our duty to do, and in this case, we held a very important line without giving a yard. 

George is entitled to the 14 Star Trio with clasp and roses.

He is remembered upon La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial.

The medal has a long length of original ribbon.