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CWM 19920166-1535
CWM 19920166-1535

Private

Morris, William Pridmore

Unit

31st Canadian Infantry Battalion (Alberta)

Branch

Infantry

Service Component

Canadian Expeditionary Force

Service Number

425101

birth

1892/03/16

Llanelly, United Kingdom, Wales

death

1916/09/21

France

grave

St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France

Gender

Male

William Pridmore Morris was born in Llanelli, Wales, on 16 March 1892. He was the son of William and Mary Ann Morris. It is not known when he immigrated to Canada.

Morris was a farmer when he enlisted in the 45th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Manitoba) in Dauphin, Manitoba, on 5 June 1915. His brother, Arthur Trevor Morris, had enlisted in the same unit three months earlier. After training in Canada, the two of them embarked for England with their unit on SS Lapland, leaving Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 1 April 1916. Upon arrival in England, the 45th Battalion provided reinforcements to Canadian units in the field, so the Morris brothers were transferred to the 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion (Alberta). They joined the unit in the field on 2 June 1916. William Morris died at No. 1 Australian General Hospital in Rouen, France, on 21 September 1916, as a result of a gunshot wound to the thigh and a compound fracture of the femur. Those wounds were received at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette.

William Pridmore Morris is buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France.

The Canadian War Museum’s Collection includes the following artifacts for this recipient