Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Lot 3648    Session 12 (11.30am Thursday 26 March)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $3,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $4,000

GROUP OF FOUR: Military Cross (GRI); 1914-15 Star; British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19. T/Capt. H.H. Morris 1st Divl. Fld. Arty. A.I.F. on first medal, 3506 Gnr. H.H.Morris. 1/Div. Arty. A.I.F. on second medal, T/Captain H.H.Morris. A.I.F. on last two medals. First medal engraved, other medals impressed. Swing mounted, good very fine - extremely fine.

Together with matching set of original swing mounted miniatures.

MC: LG 23/4/1918, p13185, posn 15; CAG 2/5/1918, p1035, posn 34.

Recommendation (20/10/1917): 'At Inferno Dump, N. of Zillebeke on the night of 27th October, 1917 at about 9pm the Dump was hit by an enemy incendiary shell and set alight. Immediately the Guard gave the alarm, this Officer - who was in charge - summoned the whole of his Dump party. Nothwithstanding that some of the boxes containing 18-pr. Ammunition had caught fire and many rounds were exploding, he rallied his men with considerable gallantry and by setting a magnificent example of courage, he - in the face of great personal danger - succeeded in eventually having the fire extinguished. Undoubtedly his good leadership was the means of saving a large quantity of ammunition and - by the fire being extinguished so promptly - also perhaps saved many casualties.'

Prior Recommendation (4/7/1916): At Sailly, France. 'Was in charge of Y/1/A Medium Trench Mortar Battery during the raid on the night 12/13th June. He kept his guns in action and with the most valuable results though his mortars were under fire almost immediately on opening. On the afternoon of the 24th June he saw a wounded infantryman attempting to find the dressing station. This part of the trenches were under heavy shrapnel fire at the time and everyone in the vicinity had taken cover under the parapet and the dug-outs. Lieutenant Morris went out and helped the wounded man to the dressing station.'

Herbert Henry Morris, dairyman, age 28, born at South Melbourne, Victoria; Enl.19Aug1914 at Melbourne Barracks; Emb.20Oct1914 on A9 HMAT Shropshire as a Gunner; to Gallipoli 08Nov1915; 2Lt 17Apr1916 to Trench Mortar Battery; WIA 29Apr1916 SW nose and second finger of left hand; Lt 01Aug1916; T/Capt 16May1918 while commanding MTM Bty; Appt terminated 20Aug1919.

In Morris' military records there is a solicitor's letter dated 2 September 1938 requesting a copy of his war record to be used in defence of H.H. Morris of Yalca for a criminal charge to be heard at Shepparton, Victoria about 13 September. Morris was found not guilty in a sensational case that was reported in the Advocate (Burnie, Tasmania) on Wednesday 14 September 1938, p7 as follows,

ALLEGED MURDER AND DEATH PACT MAN AND WIFE ACQUITTED:

AMAZING STORY TOLD SHEPPARTON (Vic.), Tuesday.

After hearing an amazing story of an alleged suicide pact, the jury in the Supreme Court to-day found Herbert Henry Morris (51), farmer, of Yalca, and his wife, Winifred Teresa Morris (32), not guilty on charges of having attempted to murder each other; of having attempted to commit suicide, and of having attempted to murder their baby, aged three months, on June 6.

It was alleged by the Crown that the couple decided to take poison and then crash their car, to make the death of themselves and their child appear accidental. Mr. Cussen (for the Crown) said Mrs. Morris got on her husband's nerves with her obsessions after their child was born. Finally he said that if she wanted to do away with herself he would go, too. He bought poison for sparrows, and tried it on a dog, which he eventually killed with a hammer to end its misery. They put poison on puff pastry, and on June 6 went to the township, said Mr. Cussen. Both had drinks and returned home. Later they took the pellets, and then Morris drove the car at a fast pace, 45 to 50 miles per hour, and then turned it over. None of the occupants was seriously injured.

Three in Hospital Dr. N. J. Parker, who attended them after the crash, said that Morris was talkative, and showed signs of having taken liquor. He said, 'We have taken strychnine rolled up in paste.' They were suffering from poisoning then and later. The three were in hospital for 15 days. Dr. Parker said Mrs. Morris was abnormal physically and mentally after the child was born.

Detective R. Gregory said Morris said he expected the child to be killed in the crash, but when the charge was read Mrs. Morris said, 'It is all wrong.'

Wife's Delusions Morris made a graphic address from the dock, 'I am an ordinary sort of cocky. It is pretty tough, this, he said. 'My wife, after the birth of the baby, had fits of depression, but I did not think they would land me here. She kept on saying she was suffering from all sorts of complaints, and that she would end her life. I tried to reason with her. It was difficult. After some weeks, I said, 'Look. Don't do it. I'll go with you.' I hoped it would relieve her mind, and that she would forget her ideas. You see, I loved her very much. The kiddie - well I worship her before God. At the finish I said, 'I'll go with you.'

'Decided to End Lives'

'I did not have much left, and did not feel like carrying on. We decided to end our lives.' 'I do not drink very much, and my wife is a teetotaller. That day I filled myself with whisky. I made my wife drink too. We returned home, and when we got to the gate I think I was sobering. We talked it over again. Only for her mental condition, she did not want to end her life, and I am perfectly certain I did not want to end mine.' 'All I remember was what she said at the gate, which was, let's go home. God did not intend us to do this terrible thing. We went home happy. We lit a fire and put the baby to bed.' She said, 'We will have something to eat and; go to bed.' We went to the bedroom, and then she collapsed. She said, 'I can't go on with it.' She got bad. I went to her bag and took the poisoned pellets to the kitchen.- I fixed two more pellets. They looked new, I got fragments of the old pellets and ran them across the newer ones. I threw the old pellets containing the poison into a shed in the garden.

'I put the new, harmless pellets in her bag. She seemed to get better, and I got some whisky. I am not used to drink, but I got some and gave her one.' Morris added that he got into the car with his wife and baby, intending to take them to his sister's place. He thought they would be better there. He must have come back, but had not the slightest recollection of having swallowed the pellets. 'I remembered next lying on the ground after the crash,' he concluded.

With research.