WWI Victory Medal. Morris. Carmarthen, West Wales. RNVR.

Correctly named WZ 3518 WD Moris AB RNVR

William David Morris was born in Carmarthen, West Wales in September 1897 to William and Mary. We find them in 1911 living at 45 St Catherine Street, Carmarthen and at that time, William worked as a telegraph messenger.  He later became a shoemaker by trade and he enlisted into the RNVR (Welsh Division) in 1916. After his initial stint at HMS Victory, he was posted to HMS Resolution from December 1916. He was de-mobbed in February 1919.

HMS Resolution from 1917

For its part, the German fleet remained in port or trained in the Baltic Sea through 1917, as both sides had largely abandoned the idea of a decisive surface battle in the North Sea. Both sides turned to positional warfare, laying fields of naval mines, and Germany resumed the unrestricted submarine warfare campaign early in the year. As a result, Resolution and the rest of the Grand Fleet saw no action during this period.

In 1917, Britain began running regular convoys to Norway, escorted by light forces; the Germans raided these convoys twice late in the year, prompting Admiral David Beatty, who had replaced Jellicoe the previous year, to send battle squadrons of the Grand Fleet to escort the convoys. The High Seas Fleet went to sea on 23 April to attack one of the escorted convoys, but after the battlecruiser SMS Moltke suffered a serious mechanical accident the next day, the Germans were forced to break off the operation. Resolution and the rest of the Grand Fleet sortied on 24 April once they intercepted wireless signals from the damaged Moltke, but the Germans were too far ahead of the British, and no shots were fired. On 21 November 1918, following the Armistice, the entire Grand Fleet left port to escort the surrendered German fleet into internment at Scapa Flow.

William married Sarah Jane Ellis in 1927. In 1939, we find them living at 3 Bryn Terrace, Llwchwr and William is working at the local steelworks.

William is entitled to a Pair.

He died in 1971.

The medal is a great ‘Welsh Division’ example and comes with a modern replacement ribbon