Morgan

Lance Corporal Ernest Morgan 26499

South Wales Borderers

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These are the Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials to Lance Corporal Ernest Morgan

Click on images to enlarge

Ernest standing with his brother Penry

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Two photo's, one showing the Thiepval Memorial monument and the other showing the panel where Ernest Morgan's name is engraved on Pier and Face - 4a. This is in the SWB section, L.Cpls sub section and his name can be seen at the center, near top.

(photo's.... Stephen Morgan)

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This is a newspaper report of the news of Ernest's death.

Corporal Ernest Morgan,

Cwmbran

Mr and Mrs Penry Morgan, 4 Wooden House's, Upper Cwmbran, have received the sad news that their son, Corporal Ernest Morgan, aged 23, was killed in action in France on October 21st.

Corporal Morgan's mother and sister were paying a visit to Private Phillip Morgan, aged 27, his brother, who was badly wounded on July 19th and who is now in Trent Bridge Military Hospital, Nottingham.

Another brother, Private Penry Morgan, died in the Hammersmith Hospital, London, on March 12th, 1915 after having his leg shattered in action and the funeral took place at Llantarnam.

Mr and Mrs Morgan, for whom much sympathy is felt, are the father and mother of a very large family. Three sons and four sons-in-law have served with the Colours; one son-in-law (Private Fred A Pearson) is still serving in France.

This is the Trent Bridge Military hospital at Christmas 1916. This is the hospital and time that Phillip, mentioned above was there

The hospital was in-fact the Pavilion of the cricket club in Nottingham.

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Further information has now been obtained from Steve Broomfield and Jay Dubaya, members of the Great War Forum giving information about where Ernest died and the conditions in the trenches at the time. Jon (Jay) has also supplied a map of the area.

Below are the posts about Ernest as they appeared on the forum.

Steve Broomfield

They were holding Grease Trench, near Bernafay Wood. The book describes conditions: "Bernafay Wood offered little shelter from the persistent rain, but it was possible to give the men a meal, and after dark the battalion set off again, along a road so deep in mud that many men soon became utterly exhausted by their efforts to drag themselves through it."

Guides couldn't find their way, and the relief took till after dark on the 20th (having started on the 19th) before it could be reported complete. German shelling was persistent. "The next two days in Grease Trench were about the worst the 2nd ever experienced. The weather was bitterly cold, the temperature falling to 10 degrees below freezing; the men were without greatcoats, had arrived in the trench wet through, and found no cover and no chance of getting dry."

It seems they were there for two days (returning again on the 25th for a spell!), and had lost 3 officers and 20 men killed by shelling, with 6 and 58 wounded. Additionally, 4 and 180+ were evacuated sick - mostly trench foot.

Much of the casualty number was caused by the trenches being in such shocking condition that no shelter was afforded against continuous enemy shelling.

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Jay Dubaya

Steven has provided a good account from the regimental history, the war diary records that the guides were from the 1st Bn. Hants. The 2nd BN. SWB occupied Grease Trench from N21d3.7 - N20d6.9. The war diary also records that the battalion didn't receive their rations on the 21st. There is no mention of a patrol on or around this date but it is recorded that the 'Germans were heavily shelling Gueudecourt and communication trenches and that our own artillery was continuously firing short on our front line trench'. Added to the casualties were 45 missing.

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