BORN: 03 Jan 1895, Magor, Monmouthshire, Wales.
UNIT: Pte 228260, Monmouthshire Regt, then 13th & 11th Battalion Cheshire Regiment.
DIED: Killed in Action, 20 Apr 1918 France, aged 23.
BURIED: No known grave. Commemorated on Tyne Cot Memorial. Part XIV. Stone No. 62.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Bishton.
Early Life
Edgar MORGAN was born 18 Dec 1894 in Bishton, Monmouthshire, Wales. He was the first-born son of George & Eliza MORGAN. His father George was, a mason, born in Bishton, whilst his mother Eliza was from nearby Langstone.
Eliza was George’s second wife. He had first married Elizabeth Ann JONES from Caldicot in 1873 and they had 6 children together. Sadly, their first three children all died in childhood. Then, to compound the tragedy, Elizabeth died in 1888, just 6 weeks after the birth of their sixth child. The 1891 census recorded the widowed George (aged 40) in Bishton at ‘The cottage near the well’ with his three remaining children. Also with them was one Eliza DAVIES (22). She was recorded as his housekeeper. Eliza already had an illegitimate daughter Emma Jane DAVIES when George and Eliza were married in 1894. Edgar was born soon after. He was to be the first of their 8 children.
Edgar grew up in Bishton and went to Bishton Board School, albeit infrequently. A note in the school’s admission register for 1898 says that he attended only ‘40 days per year’. In 1901, Edgar (aged 6) lived with his parents and 3 siblings at Pump Cottage, Bishton. His father still worked as a mason. By 1911, Edgar was working as a farm labourer. He and his family still lived together in Bishton. By this time, 3 of Edgar’s 8 siblings had died.
Edgar and WW1
Edgar’s service record appears to be amongst the many that are missing or were burned in the Blitz during WW2. So do not know precisely when he enlisted. However, calculations based on his War Gratuity indicate that he enlisted in the month from 21 Jan 1917. This is consistent with medal records that show he did not serve overseas before the end of 1915. He was with the Cheshire Regiment by 19 Jun 1917 when he wrote his Soldier’s will, leaving everything to his mother ‘Mrs G. Morgan of Well House, Bishton’.
Edgar was initially assigned to the Monmouthshire Regiment as Pte. 228260 and was stationed at an Infantry Base Depot (IBD). These were holding camps in France, sited near one of the main ports. Soldiers arriving from Britain were based there until they were posted to the front. Edgar was then transferred to 13th Cheshire regiment as Pte. 260113, also at an Infantry Base Depot. Records suggest he remained with the 13th Cheshires when posted, but we do not know for how long. He transferred once more, this time to 11th Cheshires, possibly when the 13th was disbanded on 16 February 1918. The 13th was later (17 June 1918) reduced to cadre strength and personnel were transferred to 1/6th Bn.
The Cheshires
Assuming these transfer timings, Edgar would have fought in the Battle of Messines in 1917 and the Battle of Pilkem (part of the Third Battle of Ypres, a.k.a. Passchendaele) [See Walter DAVIES’ story]. The 13th Cheshires lost 19 officers and 395 men at Pilkem.
In 1918, both 11th and 13th Cheshires formed part of the 25th Division. In Feb 1918, in response to rumours of an impending German assault, they moved to the area north of Bapaume, between Ypres and Armentieres.
‘Kaiserschlacht’
In March 1918 the Cheshires were in defensive action against the massive German ‘Kaiserschlacht’ offensive. (Part of The Spring Offensive). Russia had surrender to Germany in December 1917. So in early 1918 the German army in France and Belgium was boosted by 50 divisions from the Eastern Front. On 21 March the Germans launched their attack. They wanted to end the war before the American Expeditionary Force could be fully deployed. German artillery fired over 1 million shells in just 5 hours. Fighting was continuous and confusing as the Germans pressed forward on several fronts. Fighting as they retreated, the 25th Division that included the Cheshires lost half its men. The combined casualty numbers were higher than the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. By 28 March they were removed to Doullens and were out of danger.
Whilst reinforcements brought the Division back to full strength, they were mainly new recruits. Many were just 19 years old. Much reorganisation of officers, a lack of experienced NCOs, and the unfamiliarity of the soldiers with each other would soon cost the Division dearly. Edgar was in the front line when the enemy attacked again, and the Division was shattered again, this time at the Battle of Bailleul on 13-14th April.
Edgar's final days
Edgar died sometime between 10-20 April 1918. Here is a description of his final days.
On 01 Apr 1918 Edgar’s battalion was moved to Godewaersvelde on the France-Belgium border. They were bused a further 12 miles south-east to Kortepyp Camp. Over the next few days they marched about 4 miles to Le Rossignol Camp, south of Messines, picking up a draft of 260 new recruits. Ironically, they were only 1 mile away from one of the sites of the Christmas Truce of 1914. On the night of 08 Apr Edgar’s battalion moved into the front line south of Ploegsteert Wood (anglicised to Plugstreet Wood by the British soldiers).
10 April
The German attack heavily bombarded the front and support lines occupied by Edgar and his comrades. Then on 10 Apr his commanding officers received news that the Germans had advanced to their south and were in Le Touquet railway station. The were also near the battalion HQ causing them to withdraw towards Ploegsteert Wood, being fired at the whole time from Lancashire Support Farm to the south.
11 April
The British fighting retreat westward continued and the Edgar’s battalion were ordered to hold the line along road between Ploegsteert and Romarin. They did so until noon on 11 Apr when a German attack from the south drove Edgar’s battalion back. At 7pm they were ordered to dig a new line from Romarin to Pont D’Achelle. However, the enemy were already in Romarin and the British moved back a further 200 yards and dug in.
12-15 April
They held this line until 4pm on 12th when they were forced to retreat again. They withdrew to Kortepyp where they dug in for the night. At 5am further German assaults pushed the British back to Rayelsburg. They held their ground there supported by artillery and machine gun fire until 15th Apr. They were relieved on 15th Apr by the 2nd Leicestershires.
16-18 April
What was left of the 11th Cheshires and other battalions formed a composite battalion and was ordered back to the front line. They fought there for 2 days until relieved and they moved back into camp.
19 Apr – 03 May
The battalion spent time training and rotating in and out of support lines. The came out of the line on 03 May.
At the start of the month, the 11th Cheshires consisted of 25 officers and 835 other ranks. They also received a draft of 15 officers and 492 other ranks. By the end of the month, the unit stood at 24 officers and 597 other ranks. Sometime after 10 Apr during this confusing and devastating withdrawal, Edgar was lost. He was officially reported as missing in action. He was 23 years old.
Death and Burial
His death
Edgar was reported as Missing in Action between 13-20 Apr 1918. Edgar’s body was never found. He is therefore commemorated on the Tyne Cot War Memorial and his death reported as 20 Apr 1918.
Edgar is also commemorated on plaque in Bishton Village Hall along with George JAMES and Francis WILLIAMS. The hall used to be the school which all three boys attended. The plaque was created in 2014 following research by Ian Long.
What happened to his family?
Parents
Edgar’s father died in 1915 and was buried in Bishton churchyard. By the time Edgar died, his mother had moved to Treberth in Christchurch parish, Monmouthshire.
Siblings
Edgar’s half-sister Emma Jane DAVIES died 7 months after him, aged 28. She lived at Pump Cottage in Bishton and was buried in the parish churchyard.
Another half-brother, William Melville MORGAN, emigrated to South Africa in 1920 and died in Cape Town in 1975.
His half-brother, Ivor, married and moved to Abertillery, where he worked as a collier and raised a family.
Edgar’s sister, Gwendoline MORGAN, married George WATKINS in 1924. She lived at Royal Oak, Christchurch at the time.
Some of Edgar’s nieces and nephews attended the unveiling of the commemorative plaque in Bishton in 2014.
Contact me if you want more detail about the sources used or any help finding your ancestors’ stories, military or otherwise.
Links
Shaun Mcguire’s website: http://www.shaunmcguire.co.uk/
Unveiling of Edgar’s memorial plaque in Bishton: South Wales Argus report
