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Welcome to Military Service

Military Service is dedicated to all the wider Morgan family who served our country during war time and peace, with spotlight stories on individuals. Morgan's have served in nearly every major conflict since (and including) the New Zealand Wars.

Dad was very proud of his family heritage and was equally proud of the contribution, service, and sacrifice the Morgan family made over two world wars and other conflicts.

He carried a copy of his Morgan “Role of Honour” with him to every ANZAC Day dawn service to ensure he did not forget anyone in remembrance. There were 16 names on this list including three who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

On 25 April 2021, the last ANZAC Day dawn service that he attended, dad handed me a folded piece of paper - no words were exchanged. A bit confused I placed it in my pocket. Later when I got home, I opened what he had given me. It was his copy of the Morgan “Role of Honour”.

Now that he has passed, it is clear to me the unspoken message he was sending. He was handing down the responsibility of keeping their memories alive.

I am attempting to do this now – using records that dad had collected as a starting point. I have come across new information and insights into our family’s military service, and have also endeavored to provide some context surrounding the conflicts and theatres (of war) they served in. There is now over 40 names on this list.

As it was to dad, and as it is now to me, we place great importance on ensuring their memories are never forgotten. It is hoped this work do our relatives justice in this regard.

"They say you die twice.

The first time when you draw your last breath, the second, sometime later, when your name is spoken for the last time."

Lest We Forget

Sacrifice
Morgan's Killed In Action

Morgan Roll of Honour

No
Surname
First Name(s)
Regiment/Unit
Rank
Theatre of Operation
Comments
50384
HONEYFIELD *
Leonard
New Zealand Mounter Rifles
Trooper
Egypt 1917-1918
Discharged medically unfit (Malaria)
MORGAN *
Erne David (David)
Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps
New Zealand
4th Intake - 1951
622041
MORGAN
Robert Row (Bob)
Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps
2nd Lieutenant
New Zealand
5th Intake - 1951
206191
MORGAN
Peter John
Royal New Zealand Army Service Corp
Sergeant
Korea 1950-53
2nd Embarkation
658013
MORGAN
Peter John
22nd Battalion, 2NZEF
Lance Corporal
Jayforce 1945-48
Occupation force, Japan
61389
ROW
George Caird
Royal New Zealand Artillery - 5th Field Regiment
Warrant Officer - 2nd Class
North Africa, Italy
Montgomery's Eighth Army (Africa), Cassino (Italy)
42083
MORGAN
Walter Willoughby
RNZAF - No 75 (New Zealand) Squadron, Bomber Command
Flying Officer
Europe
421495
BETLEY
Roland Desmond Ernest
RNZAF - No 75 (New Zealand) Squadron, Bomber Command
Flight Sergeant
Europe
Killed on air operations (France)
442824
PAYNE
Leonard William (Len)
Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy
Petty Officer
Atlantic, Pacific & Eastern Fleets
At Tokyo Bay for Japanese surrender
43708
MORGAN
Harry Wright
RAF No. 78 Squadron (Bomber Command)
Pilot Officer
Europe
Killed on air operations (Holland)
7/1905
SYMES *
William Francis Edgar
Canterbury Mounted Rifles 10th Squadron (8th Reinforcements)
Trooper
Egypt 1915-1917
Wounded in action, invalided home
86504
PERCIVAL *
Stanley John
46th Reinforcements – C Company
Private
Did not serve overseas
War ended before being posted overseas
10/259
STEVENSON *
William Alexander
Wellington Infantry Battalion
Private
Egypt 1914-1915
Gallipoli, wounded & invalided home
24/1173
PRICE *
William Alfred
2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade – D Company
Rifleman
Egypt 1915-1916; Europe 1916-1918
Served in Europe via Egypt
56941
WILLIAMS
Herbert (Sherb)
4th Battalion 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade
Rifleman
Europe 1916-1917
France, Belgium – invalided home
46284
CAIRD
David
NZ Machine Gun Battalion (A Coy)
Private
Europe 1917-1918
France, Belgium – invalided home
17/196
SYMES
Oscar John
Veterinary Corps – Second Reinforcements
Staff Sergeant
Egypt and Europe 1914-1919
Believed to have been gassed in France
20449
SYMES
Albert Edward Thorley
2nd Battalion Wellington Infantry Regiment
Private
Europe 1916-1918
Invalided home
13/3096
PERCIVAL *
Lawrence Arthur
Auckland Mounted Rifles – 10th Reinforcements
Trooper
Egypt 1916-1917
Discharged medically unfit (illness)
24688
PERCIVAL *
Reginald Fred
22nd Specialist Company – Signals Section (1st Otago Infantry Battalion)
Corporal
Europe 1916-1918
Wounded, home
60305
MORGAN
Cecil James
Volunteered, rejected on medical grounds – high myopia
10/1851
HUGHES
Herbert Hoey Burnett (Son)
Wellington Infantry Battalion 7th Wellington West Coast Company
Corporal
Egypt 1915
Gallipoli, wounded & invalided home
54559
MORGAN
Edmund George
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Rifleman
Europe 1917-1918
Discharged medically unfit
11/571
MORGAN
Sydney John
Wellington Mounted Rifles 2nd (Wellington West Coast) Squadron
Trooper
Egypt 1914-1916
Gallipoli, wounded & invalided home
11/599
MORGAN
William Elvins Spiers (Inky)
Wellington Mounted Rifles 2nd (Wellington West Coast) Squadron
2nd Lieutenant
Egypt 1914-1919
Gallipoli, Egypt
13/3130
ROACHE
William Michael (Billy)
NZ Machine Gun Battalion (1st Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment)
Sergeant
Europe 1916-1918
Military Medal (MM) for gallantry , France
23082
MORGAN
Archibald John
2nd Battalion 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade
Lance Sergeant
Europe 1916-1917
Killed at Ypres (Belgium)
4/558
MORGAN
Garland Oswald
NZ Engineers Divisional Signal Company (Auckland Infantry Battalion)
Sapper
Egypt 1914-1915
Killed at Gallipoli
43692
MORGAN
John Ivo (Jack)
Wellington Mounted Rifles 2nd (Wellington West Coast) Squadron
Trooper
Egypt 1917-1919
Egypt, Beersheba
11/528
MORGAN
William Coombes (Willie)
Wellington Mounted Rifles 2nd (Wellington West Coast) Squadron
Trooper
Egypt 1914-1915
Gallipoli, wounded & invalided home

* Military service yet to be researched.

Biographies

Click on the links to read about the stories of our relatives military service.

All endeavors are made to gather correct information, however, often reliance is made from historic and official records which can contain inaccuracies.

PLEASE CONTACT ME IF THERE IS AN ERROR OR IF YOU HAVE NEW INFORMATION.

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