Alfred MORRIS [1874-1945]

Submitted by Rita on Sat, 10/20/2012 - 20:07
Names
Given
Alfred
Family
Morris
Sex
Male
Status
Deceased
Born
Date
(Day & Month are approximate.)
Birthplace (town, state)
Cwmavon
Birthplace (country)
Wales
Died
Date
Cause of death
Heart failure

My grandfather Alfred was the first Headmaster of King's College from 1926-1934 following on from his tenure at Saiyingpun school after arriving in Hongkong in 1905 on the "Simla" - with 2 small children, my mother Dorothy Langston nee Morris and Edwin Alan - later killed in WW1.

Tags

Connections: This person is ...
Spouse of
Lily MORRIS [1875-1949]
Parent of
Dorothy Mary LANGSTON (née MORRIS) [1902-1990]
Edwin Alan MORRIS [????-????]

Photos that show this Person

Comments

Hi,
My family has deep roots in Hong Kong - Caldwell, Morris, Armstrong and Mitchell. One of the daughters of Daniel R Caldwell, my great great grandfather, married Alfred Morris (bn 1851). They had three, possibly four children: Edith, Violet, Kate and we think an Alfred Jr. (bn: 1875). Alfred and Kate attended Eastbourne School in Sussex. Your grandfather Alfred might be this Alfred Jr and thus our relative as well. Does any of the above ring a bell with you? Do you have any info on your Alfred's father that could connect us?

Many thanks.

Peter Bruce
Victoria, BC Canada

Extract from KWIZ #18, 22.10.43:  "A reliable informant who has just returned from the Colony says that whilst there, towards the end of August, he saw Mr A Morris at liberty.  Morris is a former Headmaster of King's College, and former chief of St John's Ambulance in Hongkong.  He is said to have been released from Stanley on account of his advanced age, and possibly on the guarantee of Aw Boon Haw, with whom he was connected after leaving St John's Ambulance, when he ran the N/T Relief Organisation which was financed by Aw."

Mr. Morris is on a BAAG 'Britishers in Town' list and recorded as living in Un Long, which I think is now Yuen Long. Red Cross accounts show he was paid a small allowance for September 1943. I don't know if such allowances were regular or occasional.

He died before the end of the occupation, but I don't know exactly when.

Dear Rita,

Your grandfather served as Commissioner of St John Ambulance from 1930-39.  As I am writing the centenary history (1916-2016) of the Brigade which will not be complete without Mr Morris' stories, I wonder if you have any relevant information, photos and artifacts in your possession or to which you have access?

Gratefully

Ben

The name of Mr. Morris or Mr. A. Morris appeared in the news of Yuen Long

* "St. John's Ambulance Brigade's work in new territories" 1932
* "Transport Arrangement for Kam Tin" St. John Ambulance Association & Brigade (Mr. A. Morris) 1938

Red Cross Delegate Rudolf Zindel reported Alfred Morris's death to his committee in Geneva on 12 July 1945 (General Letter No. 63/45).

Zindel stated that Mr. Morris died at his home No. 2, Kam Tin Shi, Yun (sic) Long at 8.15 a.m. from heart failure. He had been in a 'precarious' state of health for some time and plans to move him to Hong Kong for hospital treatment had to be abandoned because it was felt the 'long and cumbersome' journey would have been too much for him. The Red Cross planned to inform his daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Langston, who was in Stanley.

Another document states that he was summoned to internment in Ma Tau-wai when it was established in the summer of 1944 but granted a deferral because he was already in poor health.

This is a picture of the King's College's Scouts making a 4 1/2 day hike to Canton over the X'mas of 1932 where your Grandfather Headmaster A Morris wrote "A Splendid Performance" on it