The Great War of 1914 to 1918. Death of a soldier Alfred Charles Morgan

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The Great War of 1914 to 1918.Death of a
soldier - Alfred Charles Morgan
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Alfred Charles Morgan was born in 1885.
Unfortunately we do not know his date of birth
or his place of birth.
In August, 1914, The Great War broke
out.500,000 men volunteered to join the army in
August and September.
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Alfred Charles Morgan was a coal-miner when he
volunteered to join the army.
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The army could not cope with such a huge influx
of volunteer soldiers, so some, like Alfred
Charles Morgan, had to wait to be called up by
the army.
In November, 1914, he married his sweetheart,
Miss Agnes Kendrick, about whom, as yet, we know
little, other than
her mother was a Mrs Kendrick, once of Thomas
Street, but who was a resident of Trelewis by
1914.
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The new Mr and Mrs Morgan had a few weeks of
married life. They were together for Christmas
1914 and New Year, 1914 to 1915.
In January, 1915, Alfred Charles Morgan was
called up by the army.
He was ordered to report to CINDERFORD Camp in
Gloucestershire. He had opted to join The
Gloucestershire Regiment.
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In early January, Alfred would have caught a
train, possibly from Treharris station and made
his way to Cinderford.
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Alfred Charles Morgan became Private 17992 of the
13th Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment when
he arrived at Cinderford Camp.
Mrs. Morgan, his wife of only two months, would
never see him again.
Alfred Charles Morgan, Private 17992, died in
hospital, in January, 1915.
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Alfred died of pneumonia, as his death
certificate shows.
The military authorities sent Alfreds body home
to Treharris for burial.
It seems that Alfred and his wife had a family
connection with The Oaklands. I have not yet
been able to identify the connection.
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A map of the Treharris area.Oaklands Terrace is
indicated.
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The Oaklands, Treharris,now Oaklands Terrace
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The Oaklands, Treharris,Oaklands Terrace
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The Oaklands overlooks the Church of St. Matthias.
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A photograph was taken at the start of the
Charles Morgans funeral. The photograph shows a
horse-drawn hearse outside a house in The
Oaklands. An escort of soldiers is present.
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A horse-drawn hearse.
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The undertaker.
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At the funeral of Alfred Charles Morgan
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The Merthyr Express carried brief reports of
Alfreds death and of his funeral.
Huge crowds lined the route from The Oaklands to
Beech Grove Cemetery.
The bodies of soldiers Killed In Action were
not returned to their families but buried near
the battlefields where they died.
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As Alfred died before he departed On Active
Service the military authorities allowed his
body to be returned to his family for burial.
The grave of Alfred Charles Morgan can still be
found in the cemetery.
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Springtime in Beech Grove Cemetery, Edwardsville
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The former cemetery chapel at Beech Grove Cemetery
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The cemetery chapel was built in 1888 and
restored in 1914.
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His gravestone shows his army number and rank,
his name, his regiment and the date of his death.
Army Number, Rank, Name, Regiment, Date of Death
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Displayed on his headstone is the regimental
crest of The Gloucestershire Regiment.
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EGYPT and the sphinx have appeared on the
regimental crest since the Battle of Alexandria,
1801. In this battle soldiers of the
Gloucestershire Regiment displayed exceptional
bravery.
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The headstone that marks the grave of Alfred
Charles Morgan
Alfred Charles Morgan never had a chance to
uphold the reputation of his regiment in battle.
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The End
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