"Jack" Bernard MORRIS

Born 6 May 1906 in West Bar, Canada ^[16]
Departed London, England on the steamship Barrabool and arrived in Adelaide, South Australia on 11 November 1922 ^[70]
Resided in Five Gums in 1939 and 1940 ^{[0: image 03819] [16]}
Farmhand for Glenister A. M. THREADGOLD at Five Gums near Carnamah ^{[0: image 04070]}
Resided at Five Gums enlisting to serve in the Australian Army on 4 December 1940 ^[16]
Private WX9621 in the Australian Army's 2/32 Reinforcements during World War Two^[16]
    Also in the same unit was Sid BENNETT of Carnamah ^{[0: image 04070]}
    In December 1941 while serving in the Middle East received a Christmas present from the Carnamah Girls Club ^{[0: image 04071]}
    Discharged from the Australian Army on 21 August 1945 ^[16]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Forrestfield prior to his death in 1957 ^[2]
Died 18 January 1957; buried Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth WA (Anglican, EA, 158)^[2]


From The North Midland Times newspaper, Friday 13 February 1942:
"Sid Bennett and Jack Morris together in Middle East. The following letter was recently received by Mr. G. Threadgold, of Five Gums, from Private Jack Morris, and he handed it to the Girls' Club. Although he was not too well known in Carnamah Private Morris worked for Mr. Threadgold for some time and spent his pre-embarkation leave at Carnamah. He was accorded a send off with Pts. E. Haig, S. Bennett, G. Clark and H. Anderson.
WX9621 Private B. Morris, 32nd Coy., 24th A.I.T.B., Abroad. As you can see from the address I am now abroad. We came over here on one of the biggest liners in the world; sorry I can't tell you the name, but believe me it was the best I ever saw, just like a floating palace. We had a good trip over; the sea was calm and the weather was good. We have now been in this camp nearly 4 weeks' it's not a bad place, but of course nothing to what Northam was, but then we did not expect it to be. The food is good - plenty of good stew twice a day and roast beef the other meal. The natives here are about the dirtiest in the world. They come round our camp and have a feed out of the pig tins. We marched through one of their villages the other day and the smell was enough to make one sick. They all live together with their dogs, donkeys and camels so you can guess what it's like. It is now winter over here and it gets very cold at night and early morning and we are getting quite a lot of rain. The natives, or as we call them, Wogs, are now busy getting their crops in. They are just like the Aussie farmer, going from day-light to dark. They do all their ploughing with a wooden plough pulled by one camel and broadcast the seed. There are no fences but the stock never seem to get on the crops. I saw a mob of lambs and ewes this afternoon, the lambs were fine and strong but the ewes were not much to look at. They are more like cross breds and have very course wool. Well, Glen, how did the crops turn out this year, I hope they were good? It's now only three days to Xmas but it will be quite different from the last one when I was in Carnamah as there won't be quite so much beer. We can only buy one bottle every second day and it costs 60 mills a bottle. Mills are the local money and go 800 to the Aussie pound. They take quite a lot of getting used to. Sid Bennett is still with me and is in the same tent; he wishes to be remembered to you. It is night as I write this and as the light is poor you will have to excuse the writing. We are living twelve men to a tent; the other boys are all playing cards and the noise they are making is great. Sid is about the loudest; he told me to tell you he is cleaning the boys up at 10 mills a time. Some of us got parcels today for Christmas. I got one from the Carnamah Girls' Club. Sid got one also. You should have seen us opening them, we were just like kids with Xmas stockings looking to see what the others had got. We have decided to pool the cake, etc., and have a bit of a party Christmas Eve. Glen, when you go to Carnamah, will you thank the Girls' Club for me, Miss Parkin is the secretary. How is Leo Green and his wife? Please give them my regards and I will write to them later."

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