Studio group portrait of the Morgan family. Identified from left to right, back row: 453 Private ...

Accession Number P03318.015
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Film copy negative
Maker Unknown
Place made United Kingdom: England
Date made June-July 1917
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Studio group portrait of the Morgan family. Identified from left to right, back row: 453 Private (Pte) Cecil Harvey Morgan, 7th Battalion; 343 Pte Leslie Meaden Morgan, 8th Battalion; 2208 Pte Weldon James Morgan, 6th Battalion, and 6544 Pte Ernest Richard Morgan, 7th Battalion. Front row Mrs Morgan and Mr Weldon James Morgan. Mr and Mrs Morgan made a trip to England in 1917 and were fortunate to have reunion with their sons. Coincidentally, at the time the portrait was taken, all four sons were in the London area either on duty or recovering from wounds or illness. An article in The Essendon Gazette and Keilor, Bulla and Broadmeadows Reporter, 20 December 1917 stated "Mr and Mrs W J Morgan, of 11 Robb street, Essendon, have recently returned from England, where they met their four sons, who are on active service. Since arriving in Australia they received advice that their youngest son, Ernest, of the 7th Battalion, had been wounded on October 4th. He is improving. They have just learned that Private Leslie Meaden Morgan of the 8th Battalion, is being returned, and will probably arrive at the end of the year. The other two brothers are with the forces in France." 2208 Pte Weldon Morgan had been killed in action at Passchendaele on 4 October 1917, aged 34, however when the article was published his parents had not yet received notification of his death.