Hampshire Regiment
Few papers have survived for Private Morgan relating to his Army service.
Alfred Morgan was born in Gloucester in 1878, the son of Henry and Julia Morgan. He married Ellen Louisa Tanner in Coventry on 14 July 1900, he being aged 23 and she one year older. In 1901 they were living in Gloucester, where Alfred was a blacksmith. By the time of the 1911 Census the couple had four children, Lillian, aged 8; Alfred (7); Margaret (6) and Arthur (3). The family lived at 18 Russell Street, Gloucester and Alfred’s occupation was described as ‘stoker to railway and carriage’.
Alfred would have been 36 years of age when the Great War started in 1914. It is doubtful whether he joined the army then; it is more likely that he was eventually conscripted towards the end of 1916 or early in 1917. He appears to have been assigned to a Labour Company of the Hampshire Regiment, being given the number 38045. Labour Companies were usually made up of men designated as ‘B2’ in operational terms, meaning that they were fit to operate abroad in lines of communication but were not fit for active service in the front line. No doubt Alfred’s late 30s age played a part in his designation. He was later transferred to the Labour Corps with the number 108484).
As stated above, no record of his army service survives, however the fact that he has a Medal Index Card confirms that he did see service abroad. According to the Register of Soldier’s Effects he died on 3 March 1919, age 41, at the Southern General Hospital, Bristol (SGH) however, a notice of death, placed in the Gloucester Journal of 8 March 1919 does state that he died in the Red Cross Hospital, Gloucester. It is possible that the Red Cross Hospital was a satellite of the SGH, for administrative purposes. The circumstances leading up to his death and the cause are not known. The absence of any Army Pension Record and Silver War Badge issue and the location of death may indicate that he died whilst still a serving soldier. At the time his family were living at 20 Russell Street, Gloucester.
Alfred Morgan was buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery, where a standard CWGC headstone marks his grave; the inscription records service with the Hampshire Regiment. He may well be the ‘A. Morgan’ commemorated on the Gloucester War Memorial.
His widow did receive a pension of 26 shillings and eight pence per week (£1.33) and an allowance of 35 shillings and six pence (£1.78) for the children, commencing 8 September 1919.
Researched by Graham Adams 22 August 2019