THE COMMANDANT

Colonel ARTHUR HENRY MORRIS C.M.G., D.S.O.

Is the eldest son of the late Rev. Henry Morris, Rector of Withcall, Lincolnshire, and the late Eliza Jemima Broughton.

Colonel Morris was educated at the King’s School, Canterbury, and the Royal Irish Regiment in 1883.  He took part in the Nile Expedition for the relief of General Gordon in 1884-85, receiving medal with clasp and bronze star.  He returned to India in 1886 and proceeded to Burmah in 1887, under Brigadier-General Sir Henry Collett, including the engagements of Nya Kyang, Kanko Defile, and the capture of Sawlon.  Here he received the clasp, and was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 15th November, 1889).  He was Chief transport Officer to the Chin Lushai Expedition, 1889-90, under  W. P. Symons, received the clasp, was again mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 12th September, 1890), thanked by the Government of India and received the D.S.O.

He was promoted Captain, 1891.  From 1893-98 he served as adjutant of the 18th Regimental District at Clonmel.  In 1899 he went out to West Africa as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast, a territory of over 40,000 square miles.  He raised there from the tribes of the Hinterland the 2nd Bn. the Gold Coast Regiment of the West African Frontier Force.  On the outbreak of the rebellion in Ashantee in 1900, he marched with nearly 200 men from Gazzbaga to Kimampo, the Southern Station of the Northern Territories, to the relief of Kumasi, doing 238 miles in 13 days, or an average of over 18 miles a day. Kumasi was reached after three days fighting in which there were 27 casualties, including Colonel Morris, severely wounded.

Colonel Morris was in command of the Garrison of Kumasi during the siege, and later commanded the column which cut its way out.  He received the medal and clasp, was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 4th November, 1900) and received brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel.  He commanded three expeditions against tribes in the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast from 1900-02, was three times mentioned in despatches (London Gazette, 4th November, 1900, and 24th April, 1903) and given C.M.G. in 1904.  In 1905 he returned to India, and in 1906 was made Commandant of the Mounted Infantry School at Ambala, was promoted Brevet-Colonel, November, 1908; substantive Lieutenant-Colonel on half-pay in January, 1909 and in July of the same year was restored to full pay on becoming Commandant of the Duke of York’s Royal Military School.