Individual Notes
Note for: William Cholmeley Morris, Chr. 20 Dec 1820 - 11 Jul 1858
Index
Christening: Date: 20 Dec 1820
Place: Hatherleigh, Devon, England
Individual Note: "Willie" Morris earned the nickname "Pocket Hercules" because of his short stature and great strength and energy. After an undistinguished early schooling - he attended St. John's College at Cambridge for nine terms leaving without a degree in June 1842. Morris was gazetted Cornet in the 16th Lancers in June 1842 and went to India, leaving from Gravesend, and joined the regiment at Meerut, India, March 13, 1843. His first letter home is extant, and in it he says that he has determined to enter the "Senior Department of the Royal Militarty College at Sandhurst, when qualified by service to do so", and speaks of the possibility of of active service in the near future.
At that time the Punjab, under weak rule had a turbulent but well-drilled army of 100,000 men, and three marches away was the State of Gwalior also in fonfusion, with a Marattah army 40,000 strong. In December 1843 Lord Ellenbrough, then Governor-General of Indai went to Gwalior to settle matters. He took a strong excortin force which included the 16th Lancers. No fighting was expected, indeed Lady Ellenbrough and her daughters accompanied the force. But on the morning of December 19, 1843, whil pitching camp at Marajahpore, a march from Gwalior, the force was attacked, and a sharp fight followed ending with the defeat of the Marattah Army.
It was Morri'first action, and he received the bronze eight-pointed Star to the troops by the East Indai Company.
In December 1845 the Sikh army crossed the Sutlej, invading British India, and the First Sikh War followed.
Marching from Meerut, the 16th Lancers joined the Sutlej Army on January 1, 1846. On the 16th January a detached British Brigade was attacked at Budiwal, near Ludjhana by a far stronger Sikh force, and it was forced to retreat to the main army. The 16th covered the retreat and checked the Sikh advance. In this action Morris, by now a Lieutenant, commanded a Troop.
On January 28, 1846, the British defeated the Sikh Army at Aliwal, after one of the hardest fought actions in India. Here the 16th charged and broke up three squares of Sikh Infantry, later charging and taking a line of Sikh guns that were holding up the advance of the British Infantry. The Regiment lost 2 officers and 56 men killed, with 7 officers and 77 men wounded. Morris, who was slightly wounded in the face, commanded a Squadron in the later stages of the battle.
At Sobraon, the final defeat of the Sikhs, the 16th, on the left wing, had little fighting.
After the surrender of the Sikh army at Lahore the 16th returned to Meerut, orders having been received to return to England after 24 years Indian service.
Morris went home on leave and exchanged on arrival into the 17th Lancers, joining the Regiment in Dublin in February 1847. In 1849 he entered the Senior Department of the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, passing out with first class honours in 1854. He rejoined the 17th at Dublin.
He inherited Fishleigh on his father's death, 1850, and married at East Ogwell, South Devon, on April 12, 1852, Amelia Mary, daughter of Major General Taylor CB., commandant of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and Colonel of the 17th Lancers, who had served in the Peninsula, and at Waterloo,m and been Groom of the Chamber to William IV. Her brother, Reynell Tahylor, was a famous soldier and administrator in the Derajat district of the Punjab under John Lawrence and later.
He commanded the 17th Lancers (his commander had died of cholera) at the Charge of the LIght Brigade, Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War, October 25, 1854. Morris was grievously wounded in this battle, suffering two sabre cuts to the head, as well as lance wound, and was carried from the field by James Mouat, Surgeon of the 6th Royal Dragoon Guards, and Sergeant Charles Wooden of the 17th, who both received the Victoria Cross for their actions. He was apparently tended at Scutari by Florence Nightingale. His wife, accompanied by her sister Mary (Taylor) Carew and Sir William Palk Carew travelled to Scutari and brought him back to Devon. He went back to the Crimea as Brevet-Major, serving as Deputy Adjutant-General at Kertsch until 1856, being awarded the C.B. and promotion to Brevet Lieutenant Colonel. The Indian Mutiny broke out, and he went with the Lancers to India. Here, he died of sunstroke in 1858 at the age of 38, probably because of the silver plate installed in his skull after the Battle of Balaklava.
An obelisk to William Morris was constructed on Hatherleigh Moor in 1860 showing scenes of this Battle, and has a bronze bas-relief showing a wounded Captain Morris being carried from the field. The Passaford family always referred to this obelisk as "Cousin Monument'.
Morris, and his friend Captain Nolan, were both "India hands", and thus suspect to their commander in the Crimea, General Cardigan, who distrusted those men who had served in India. Cardigan himself had no combat experience, and had purchased his promotions. He had been court-martialed earlier for misdeeds against his men, but re-instated because of family influence.
Sir Robert Wre-Thomson said of Morris: "Had Morris been in command of the five regiments composing the Light Brigade instead of only one of them, the issue of the Battle of Balaclava would have been more creditable to the leadership of that splendid Brigade, which would have charged to victory early in the day instead of to almost total annihilation later."
Codrington-Commander-in-Chief, Inherited Headquarter Papers FILE [no title] - ref. 6807/377-5 - date: Jul-Nov 1855 [from Scope and Content] 16 Jul Claims for losses of Capt Morris, DAQMG; Col Farren, 47th Regt, and Capt Chetwoode, 8th Hussars, are being paid [from Scope and Content] 23 Aug The allowance paid to Capt Morris at Scutari to cover all allowances