Rank: Second Lieutenant Regiment: 2nd Bn., Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Died: 23/04/1915 Age: 17y Parish: Budleigh Salterton Local Memorials: Budleigh Salterton War Memorial, St Peter's Church War Memorial, Budleigh Salterton Roll of Honour Other Memorial: Ypres (Menin Gate) [Google] PDF Download: MORRIS Henry Gage
Born in Bodmin, Cornwall to Colonel Henry Gage Morris and Mary Flora Maude (Wallis), young Henry was educated at Marlborough College and Sandhurst Royal Military College. His parents were living at ‘Marengo’, Budleigh Salterton at the time of their only child’s death in Ypres.
Following Sandhurst, Henry joined the Second Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry as a Second Lieutenant aged 17 and a half in January 1915, and a month later was sent to France. He was killed in action in April of that year at the Second Battle of Ypres, and was buried where he fell.
Contemporary reports say: “His commanding officer wrote ‘He was such a nice boy, and a very brave and gallant lad, and died gallantly. He was killed in a counter-attack we made with the 13th Brigade, the East Yorks, York and Lancs, and 4th Canadians on the 23rd.
‘I was commanding the battalion at the time, and the last I saw of him he passed me with a platoon of C Company, which was in reserve. He came past me with a very cheerful face, and laughing under a very heavy cross-fire from machine guns, and sang out to me “Shall I push on?” and I answered “Go on, laddie, as hard as you can.” ‘Poor lad, I did not see him again, but heard he was shot in the head, but he would not let anyone stay with him. He was such a good boy, always cheerful and always ready to do anything that was wanted. He was very popular with everyone – officers and men.’
Lt Henry Gage Morris is remembered on the Budleigh Salterton War Memorial and the brass plaque in St Peter’s Church, and at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial which bears the names of 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known.
H.G.Morris, 2nd Lieut, D.C.L.I. is listed under 'Died in their Country's Service' in the Budleigh Salterton Roll of Honour.
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