Francis Kemp Morris was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 29th September 1884. The older of two children, his parents were William and Fanny Morris. London-born Fanny, had been married twice before, and Francis – who was better known as Frank – had two half-siblings from each of those marriages.
There is little information about Frank’s early life. On 22nd March 1910, he married Lavinia Edwards. The couple went on to have three children – Albert, Ivy and Mavis – and Lavinia had had a son, William, two years before their wedding.
Fanny died in February 1915, at the age of 63. Tragically, Lavinia would also pass away in December 1916: she was just 26 years of age. Frank now had found children to raise. He was employed as an engineer, but was called upon to serve his King the following summer.
Assigned to the New Zealand Otago Regiment, Private Morris’ service papers note that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, and weighed 148kbs (67.1kg). He was recorded as having dark hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. He had a scar in the middle of his back, and tattoos on both of his forearms and his left knee. Deemed fit for service, Frank was sent to Trentham, near Wellington for training.
On 21st November 1917, Frank’s unit left New Zealand for the ten week voyage to Britain. Arriving in Liverpool, Lancashire, on 8th January 1918, he was marched in to Sling Camp, Wiltshire, the same day, in preparation for his unit’s move to France.
Private Morris, however, would not spend any time fighting the enemy. On 12th April 1918, he was admitted to a military hospital in Tidworth, Wiltshire, suffering with hypertrophy of the tonsils. The following day he was moved to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital near Codford with gonorrhoea. Over the coming days he contracted bronchitis, and this would be the condition that ultimately claimed his life. Frank died on 20th April 1918, at the age of 33 years old.
Thousands of miles from home, Francis – Frank – Kemp Morris was laid to rest in the graveyard extension to St Mary’s Church, Codford, not far from the hospital in which he had spent the last few weeks of his life.
Frank’s next of kin was noted as a friend, E Biddle, while his war pension was given to Henry Holbrook of St Mary’s Industrial School, Auckland, the guardian of the now orphaned children.
(from findagrave.com)
Death and Service 