Basil Morris
Encyclopedia
Major General
Basil Moorhouse Morris CBE, DSO
(19 December 1888 – 5 April 1975) was an Australia
n Army
officer
. He was the Australian military administrator at Port Moresby
at the start of the Imperial Japanese advance along the Kokoda Track
after the invasion of Buna-Gona
and successfully delayed the Japanese advance until Second Australian Imperial Force
s arrived. He served in both World War I
and World War II
.
of William Edward Morris and Clara Elizabeth, née French. Through his mothers side he was related to Major John French and Sir John French. He was educated at Church of England Grammar School
and after finishing school spent one year at the University of Melbourne
. He joined the Melbourne Cavalry and later he was commissioned into the Royal Australian Artillery on 1 December 1910.
. During this period he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
and mentioned three times in dispatches.
, New Zealand
on 27 August 1921. In 1937 he was appointed to Army Headquarters, Melbourne, as director of supplies, transport, movements and quartering.
and was charged with the responsibility of establishing relations with military authorities in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
).
He was appointed in May 1941 as the commandant of the 8th Military District, with its headquarters at Port Moresby
and was promoted temporary Major General in January 1942. He was replaced in August 1942 by Lieutenant General Sydney Rowell
and he placed in command of the New Guinea Lines of Communication Area and the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
.
Basil was injured in an Beaufort crash in 1944 at Cape Gloucester
, where he suffered a broken arm.
. He stood for the Vivtorian seat of Gippsland West
in the 1947 and 1950 state elections for the Liberal Party.
He died on 5 April 1975 at Upper Beaconsfield and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and five daughters.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Basil Moorhouse Morris CBE, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(19 December 1888 – 5 April 1975) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
. He was the Australian military administrator at Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
at the start of the Imperial Japanese advance along the Kokoda Track
Kokoda Track
The Kokoda Trail or Track is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland — in a straight line — through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea...
after the invasion of Buna-Gona
Invasion of Buna-Gona
The Invasion of Buna-Gona, called Operation RI by the Japanese, was an operation by Imperial Japanese forces to occupy the Buna-Gona area in the Territory of New Guinea between 21–24 July 1942 during the Pacific campaign of the Second World War...
and successfully delayed the Japanese advance until Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
s arrived. He served in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Born on 19 December 1888 at East Melbourne, VictoriaEast Melbourne, Victoria
East Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, adjacent to Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, East Melbourne had a population of 4,330....
of William Edward Morris and Clara Elizabeth, née French. Through his mothers side he was related to Major John French and Sir John French. He was educated at Church of England Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and after finishing school spent one year at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. He joined the Melbourne Cavalry and later he was commissioned into the Royal Australian Artillery on 1 December 1910.
World War I
Promoted to Lieutenant in May 1915 he was and posted to 'O' Siege Brigade. After arriving in England, the brigade was renamed the 36th (Australian) Heavy Artillery Group consisting of the 54th and the 55th batteries. He served on the Western Front from February 1916 and in November 1917 he was transferred to the headquarters of the 5th Divisional Artillery. Promoted to Major, he was placed in command of the 114th Howitzer Battery in September 1918, which fought at Hargicourt, Bellicourt, and in the advance to the Hindenburg lineBattle of the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line...
. During this period he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and mentioned three times in dispatches.
Between the wars
After returning to Australia in 1919, he transferred to Staff Corps. He married Audrey Lewis Cogan at St Luke's Anglican Church at ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on 27 August 1921. In 1937 he was appointed to Army Headquarters, Melbourne, as director of supplies, transport, movements and quartering.
World War II
Promoted to Colonel in November 1939 and chosen to command the Australian Overseas Base, he was seconded to the 2nd A.I.F. as temporary brigadier. After arriving in Palestine in January 1940, he began establishing the base at Jerusalem. He was later appointed the Australian military liaison officer in Bombay, IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and was charged with the responsibility of establishing relations with military authorities in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
).
He was appointed in May 1941 as the commandant of the 8th Military District, with its headquarters at Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
and was promoted temporary Major General in January 1942. He was replaced in August 1942 by Lieutenant General Sydney Rowell
Sydney Rowell
Lieutenant General Sir Sydney Fairbairn Rowell, KBE, CB was an Australian soldier who served as Chief of the General Staff from 17 April 1950 to 15 December 1954...
and he placed in command of the New Guinea Lines of Communication Area and the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
The Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit was a civil administration of Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea formed on 21 March 1942 during World War II...
.
Basil was injured in an Beaufort crash in 1944 at Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester is a headland, in the northwest of the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, at . During World War II, the Japanese captured New Britain, and had driven most of Cape Gloucester's native population out to construct two airfields...
, where he suffered a broken arm.
Later life
He retired from the army on 19 October 1946. In 1947 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He lived at Upper Beaconsfield, VictoriaBeaconsfield Upper, Victoria
Beaconsfield Upper is a town in Victoria, Australia, 45 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Cardinia...
. He stood for the Vivtorian seat of Gippsland West
Electoral district of Gippsland West
ĦThe electoral district of Gippsland West was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria.-Members for Gippsland West:-External links:...
in the 1947 and 1950 state elections for the Liberal Party.
He died on 5 April 1975 at Upper Beaconsfield and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and five daughters.