Private William John BEATON

William John BEATON was a first cousin of my maternal great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann PIKE (1847-1933).

He was born in Euroa, Victoria in 1877, first son, the third of ten children of Peter and Catherine BEATON.

William enlisted as a Private, service number 1912, on the 15th of January 1915.   He was 35 years of age, 5 foot 7 and a half inches tall, weighed 144 pounds, with a fair complexion, brown hair and eyes.
His battalion embarked at Melbourne on the AT20 Hororata on the 17th of April 1915.

Troops boarding HMAT Hororata (A20) on gangway at far left.

Copyright expired  (item in public domain.)

From Australian War Memorial website

A court of enquiry was later held at Serapeum in April 1916.William was reported missing in action at the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 27th of August 1915.

As a result, he was recorded as killed in action on the 27th of August 1915 following a report from a fellow soldier, Corporal HYLAND of Benalla.
Corporal HYLAND stated "on August 27th at Chocolate Hill we charged and as soon as we got out of the trench I saw BEATON fall short.  He did not move and I believe he was killed".

Sadly, Peter and Catherine BEATON received a letter from the War Office stating "I regret very much that, notwithstanding the efforts of our Graves Services Unit, we have so far been unable to obtain any trace of the last resting place of your son the late No. 1912, Private W.J. BEATON, 14th Battalion....."

William John BEATON is commemorated at the Lone Pine memorial.  Lest We Forget.

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Military Monday - William John Pike Morgan

William John Pike Morgan, my nana's "cousin Willie" was born at Euroa, Victoria on the 13th of May 1897. 

Private William John Pike Morgan was in the 14th Battalion, service No 893

This photo was given to my great grandparents, Thomas and Ada Morgan  (nee Hulme).

Written on the back is

"To Dear Uncle Bill, Aunt Ada and cousins with Willie's love  - October 19th 1914.  

W.J.P. Morgan 2nd expeditionary forces Broadmeadows"

William enlisted on the 20th of September 1914 and his rank on enlistment was bugler.
His unit embarked from Melbourne on the transport A38 Ulysses on 22nd of December 1914.
He was the holder of three Military Medals and was killed in action at Lone Pine, Gallipoli on the 8th of August 1915 - he was 18 years and 3 months old.

There were 4932 identified casualties.
Lone Pine memorial details can be seen at the  Commonwealth War Graves Commission website

William is commemorated at 6 Lone Pine memorial Panel 42

His Panel number at the Australian War Memorial is 73

Williewas the second eldest of eleven children and  lived at McGuinness Street, Euroa with his mother and father Thomas Fitzherbert II and Sarah (nee McNay).  He attended Euroa State School before joining the Victoria Railways in Seymour, Victoria.  He belonged to the 10th Unit Volunteer Cadet Corps both Jnr and Snr.

Williams younger brother, Private Benjamin Robert Morgan, was killed in WW2.

Source of Information: AWM 145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918 War, Army.

Lone Pine memorial

Private Morgan Adams

Morgan Adams

1895 - 1923

My grandmother's older brother, Morgan Adams was born at Essendon, Victoria on the 4th of March 1895 to John Adams and Mary Agnes, nee Morgan.

In 1915 he was a labourer living at 78 Walter Street, Ascot Vale with his mother.  His parents were separated and his father was living elsewhere at that time. Morgan was in the Citizens Military Force 58th Battalion.

Sincere thanks to my second cousins Tricia and Annette for the photo of Morgan and for allowing

me the honour of having his framed portrait from the family collection

Morgan enlisted as a private to the 5th reinforcements, 7th Battalion on the 14th January 1915 and embarked on the HMAT Hororata on the 17th April 1915.  His service record number was 1903.

Troops on board HMAT Hororata (A20) prior to departure.

Maker Barnes, Josiah

Place made Victoria, Melbourne, Port Melbourne

Date made 17 April 1915

Conflict First World War, 1914-1918

Copyright expired - public domain

On the 13th July 1915 he arrived at Gallipoli where on the 8th or 9th of August 1915, he received a gunshot wound to the forehead at Lone Pine and on the 11th of August he was admitted to the 15th Stationary Hospital at Mudros.

Morgan was transferred to the convalescent camp at Mudros on the 21st of August.

He rejoined his battalion at Gallipoli on the 25th of August 1915.

7th Battalion colour patch

From here on in his service records are fairly basic but I bet what he experienced wasn’t basic.

7-1-1916 Disembarked at Alexandria

26-3-1916 Embarked to join B.E.F (British Expeditionary Forces). ex Alexandria

31-3-1916 Disembarked at Marseilles

30-1-1918 To U.K on leave.

16-2-1918 Rejoined Unit from leave.

10-6-1918 With Unit

12-1-1919 Marched out for R.T.A

17-1-1919 Marched out to England - 1915 personnel

18-1-1919 Marched into No. 1 Com. Depot, Sutton Veny from France

19-2-1919 Transferred out to 2nd Tng? Brigade - Codford

19-2-1919 Transferred in from No. 1 Com. Depot - Sutton Veny

21-3-1919 Left England from Devonport to Australia on “Kildonian Castle”

7-5-1919 Disembarked at Melbourne

6-7-1919 Discharged from the A.I.F. at Melbourne, Termination of Period of Enlistment.


The family story was that Morgan died young due to being gassed in the war.
This must-have occurred somewhere in France as the Turks had no gas weaponry at Gallipoli.
There was no mention of it anywhere in his war service records.

This excerpt is from the 7th Battalion war diaries:

Dec 26, 1917, enemy shelled reserve coy - Denys Wood - during night with gas shells putting about 300 shells over, covering an area of about 500 sq yards
Nearly all men in Coy. suffering from the effects of the gas. Coy. relief, C Coy in frontline.
I don't know if Morgan was in that Company.

After his discharge from the army, Morgan married Isabelle O’Brien in 1920.
Isabelle was born in Beechworth in 1895 to parents Henry O’Brien and Caroline nee Methven.

In 1922, now a railway employee, Morgan and his wife Isabelle were living at 44 Erskine Street, North Melbourne.

On the 22nd of August 1923, Morgan Adams died at the Caulfield repatriation hospital.
Cause of death was Pyelonephritis - 3 years and Uraemia - 1 week.
One notable cause of this type of kidney disease is toxins.
These were most likely toxins from the gas he was subjected to in France.

He was buried at the Fawkner cemetery on the 23rd of August 1923.

Isabelle was buried there with him 55 years later on the 30th of November 1978.

She had married Henry Ernest Toll in 1926. Henry died in 1950 and is buried at Coburg cemetery.

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