Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

244 TROOPER Thomas Charles (Tom) MORRIS (1876-1955)
Born in Singleton in 1876, Tom was the son of contractor Joseph Morris, one of the best-known residents of the district. Growing into a tall, handsome, young fellow he followed his father into the family business. At 18 he joined the local detachment of NSW Lancers and, as a result, unlike most Australian youths, he neglected sport for military exercises. The result was that, though he regretfully admitted that he could neither play cricket nor football, and could neither scull nor box, he could point to a long list of prizes won at military tournaments, not only in his own country but against the flower of the British Army.

Morris was one of the detachment of Lancers which left Sydney in 1899 for training at Aldershot. He remained there till the opening of the war, when the majority of the men volunteered for service at the Cape. He took part in much of the hard and glorious work connected with the campaign, and was under fire on so many occasions that he learned to despise the enemy's bullets.

In an interview that appeared in the Maitland Weekly Mercury on June 30, 1900, Morris was described as a quiet humble man who would say little about the events that led to him being recommended for the Victoria Cross. What little that is known of the action had to be obtained by a series of leading questions and a long cross-examination during the interview:

"We were at Arundel, near Colesberg," says Morris at last, "and a body of us were ordered out under Major Lee to examine a row of kopjes about four miles long. We had ridden along for half the distance without finding any sign of the enemy, when they suddenly opened fire on us from the kopjes on both sides. All we had to do was to draw their fire, so we started to get back at once. I was near the rear of the detachment, and as I rode along, I could see the Boers coming round the other kopje to cut us off. Then I looked back to see if any of them were following us and I saw Trooper Harry Harrison's horse fall. It was shot under him, so I went back and took Harrison up and galloped away."

In telling his story Trooper Morris omits the most important part which his comrades eagerly tell. As Harrison fell the Boers rushed down from the kopje on both sides towards him evidently intending to make him a prisoner, but the others maintained such a heavy fire that he was forced to take cover behind the body of his dead horse. A number of Boers also closed in from the kopjes on either side, and were firing after the retreating Lancers at the very moment Morris swung his horse round, and galloped back right in the face of the fire, picked up Harrison with the enemy scattering bullets from three sides of them, and rode back safely, running the gauntlet of the enemy for the second time.

Morris was recommended for the Victoria Cross and so certain was the belief that Morris would be actually awarded the VC, that the English illustrated press published his portrait as the first Australian to win the Victoria Cross.

But nothing came of Morris's recommendation for the VC, one possibility being that in 1899 Australian troops were classed as "colonials".[1] That takes nothing away from what Tom Morris did. In fact, all VCs awarded to Australians during the Boer War were after January 1, 1901 the date Australia became a nation.

Two contemporary cigarette companies mistakenly issued cards to commemorate the South African war hero.

When asked about it later in life, Morris replied:

“If they don't like to give it to me, I'm not going to ask for it”.

Morris was present in several subsequent reconnaissances, but eventually fell a victim to enteric fever, and, after three months in the hospitals of South Africa, he was invalided back to Australia.

After his return to Australia Tom did not stop serving the community. He joined the NSW Police on January 17, 1902 and married Amy Clare Nickson on March 5, 1906 in Coolamon NSW and they had three children: Gladys Ellen, Edwin James, and Irene. After 32 years’ service in the NSW Police, Tom retired in 1934 with the rank of Sergeant at Corowa. For the last 10 years of his service he had been stationed at Corowa and the local citizens presented him with a wallet of notes.

In February 1938, at NSW Government House, Lord Wakehurst presented Tom with the Imperial Service Medal. The letter from the Home Office, Whitehall, London, which accompanied the medal, was as follows:

"Sir, —I am commanded to forward an Imperial Service Medal which His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to award to you in recognition of the meritorious services which you have rendered. I am, Sir, yours faithfully, R.R. Scott, Secretary and Registrar of the Imperial Service Order."

In 1944 he was elected to the Corowa Municipal Council, receiving the most votes.

Tom died on October 4, 1955. His obituary in the "Corowa Free Press" on October 7, 1955 details his part in two police cases:

"Four men were wounded with rifle bullets in a shooting affray near Jingellic. About 17 shots were fired at a picnic party by a man named Claude Batson. One of the men later died. Armed, Batson terrified the district for several days and turned bushranger, hunted by an armed posse until he was eventually captured in a starving condition at a dairy farm near Jingellic. It was during the search that Sgt Tom Morris visited a house at Lankey's Creek and after searching the house, saw Batson run through the orchard. Morris called to him to put up his hands, but instead Batson turned and fired at him, and also at Sgt O'Connor. Morris fired at Batson and the shot went through his sleeve. He took aim again, but the rifle jammed.

Sgt Morris was also responsible for recognising a 19-year-old youth named Thomas, who was known as the Staghorn Flat murderer. Thomas lived at Corowa as George Maxwell for nearly a year, until he forged cheques in the name of Hugh Jamieson, and hired a car to Culcairn. Morris and his second in command, Constable (afterwards Inspector) Yardy, notified Culcairn police and Thomas was arrested and brought to Corowa, where Morris recognised the likeness of a photo in Thomas' pocket to the Staghorn Flat murderer, he was arrested and admitted his guilt. Although a reward of 200 pounds had been offered in Victoria for the arrest of Thomas, the Victorian authorities refused to recognise the NSW Police, and the reward was never distributed."

Clearly the bravery shown by Tom in South Africa was not in any way out of character.

A noted rifle shot, Morris won many medals and trophies in Sydney, Riverina towns, and Victoria. Once, at Wangaratta range, he established a record of 20 consecutive bulls on the 500 yards range.

Tom was buried at the Corowa old cemetery on Wednesday October 5, 1955, and the casket was carried by Sergeant M. J. Whelan, Senior Constable B. D. Riordan and Constable 1st Class R. Hunt (Corowa Police) and Messrs M. Gyles, C. Pratt and Eric Harrison (Returned Soldiers).

[1] All VCs won by Australians were awarded after Federation.