Lot 1118

Description

Trio: 1914-15 Star; British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19. 1205 Pte R.Morris 18 Bn A.I.F. on all medals. Impressed. Swing mounted on long ribbons, very fine.

Reginald Morris, bootmaker, age 34, born at Sydney, NSW; Enl.16Feb1915 at Liverpool, NSW; Emb.25Jun1915; 19Sep1915 from Zeitoun for MEF; to Gallipoli 29Sep1915; in Egypt and France numerous offences of drunkenness, insolence, violence toward a superior officer and repeatedly escaping while in custody, finally on 01Oct1916 he was sentenced to death by being shot for desertion; on 10Dec1916 this was commuted to 2 years hard labour at No.1 Military Prison after a review ruled that insufficient grounds for a charge of desertion could be found to support the charge; then on 02Apr1917 he was sentenced to penal servitude for life and on 02Jul1917 this was commuted to 2 years with hard labour; sentence suspended from 22Dec1917; rejoined unit 23Dec1917, to hospital with trench feet then to England and finally returned to Australia from Durham Castle 10Mar1918; Disch.13Aug1918.