William George Morgan (1889)

Born 1889 in Millom, Cumberland, England

Ancestors

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Biography

Billie was born in Millom, Cumberland , England UK one of eight children To William George Morgan and Jane (Johnson) Morgan.

Baptised at the Holy Trinity Church Millom on 29 Sep 1889 he grew up in Millom and was a boiler fireman at the local Hodbarrow mines in 1911.

Billie played County Rugby and was a keen cyclist.

He fought in the First Word War, was shot receiving severe spinal injuries attempting to rescue a fallen comrade. Left for dead on the battlefield he was found after three days.

Repatriated to a Liverpool hospital where he spent the next seven years. Being severely disabled with spinal injuries he could only walk a few paces with the aid of two sticks and spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair. Despite being in constant pain he was never hear to complain and made many friends by his cheerful acceptance of his lot.

After being discharged from hospital he married Laura who was a ward sister at the hospital. They built a bungalow in Silecroft, Cumberland at the road junction where the Whicham Valley road meets the Whitehaven to Millom coast road. He had the foresight to recognise a good site setting up a petrol pump, which in time became a successful filling station and eventually a small garage. In the early days on the other side of the T junction there was a Smithy where the blacksmith (Mr Iveson) would fit new shoes to cart horses. The garage business sadly no longer exists.

Sources

• UK Census records 1891, 1901, 1911

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