Kerryn Taylor shares the story of William John Pike Morgan, and tells of a family with a deep connection to Australia’s military history.

Bugler William John Pike Morgan was my maternal grandmother’s cousin.

Willie was the second eldest of eleven children and lived at McGuinness Street, Euroa with his mother and father Thomas Fitzherbert II and Sarah (nee McNay).  He attended Euroa State School before joining the Victoria Railways in Seymour, Victoria.  He belonged to the 10th Unit Volunteer Cadet Corps both Junior and Senior.

William enlisted on the 20th of September 1914 and his rank on enlistment was bugler. His unit embarked from Melbourne on the transport A38 Ulysses on 22 December 1914. He was the holder of three Military Medals and was killed in action at Lone Pine, Gallipoli on the 8th of August 1915 – he was 18 years and 3 months old.

His older brother, Archibald Thomas Morgan, was badly wounded at Gallipoli and returned to Australia in August 1915.

William’s younger brother, Private Benjamin Robert Morgan, was killed in World War Two.

In my family history blog I have documented many of my family’s soldiers and their stories, so the Anzac Centenary is important to me.

Visit Kerryn’s tribute to the soldiers of her family