ABLE SEAMAN CLYDE EDWIN MORGAN 1722.
Clyde Morgan was born in Bendigo in October 1895; his Service Record indicates that he had lowered his age by one year to seek entry as a Boy Seaman on HMAS Tingira. Clyde was the youngest child of Charles and Mary Morgan who were both in their 40s when he was born. Mary had passed away in 1910 and two years later Clyde enlisted in the RAN on the 1st of June 1912. He was advanced to Boy 1st Class in March 1913, and in October 1913 he joined the Battle Cruiser HMAS Australia where he would serve continuously until December 1918. Clyde was advanced directly to Ordinary Seaman in November 1913, so it is probably at this time his true date of birth became known. He was advanced to Able Seaman in August 1915.
Clearly Clyde embraced being a seaman of his era. His service record indicates he was heavily tattooed, and he twice had his 1st Good Conduct Badge deprived for bad behaviour. In late 1918 he was repatriated back to Australia to HMAS Cerberus before joining the Royal Australian Naval College Yacht Franklin at Jervis Bay in May 1919. He remained on Franklin until his discharge End of Engagement on the 21st of October 1920.
On discharge he returned to Victoria marrying Ruby Kenworthy (nee Clarke) in Bendigo in 1922. Ruby was the widow of Thomas Kenworthy who had passed away in 1917 and she was the mother of two boys. The newly wed couple would lose a son Allan soon after his birth in 1923, before Ruby gave birth to a daughter Hazel in 1924. The couple would remain in Ballarat until Ruby’s death in 1948, Clyde working predominately as a Labourer. In the early 1960s Clyde had moved to Melbourne living in Newmarket.
Clyde Edwin Morgan passed away in Carlton Victoria on the 3rd of February 1970 aged 74. He is buried in the Fawkner Memorial Park – New Lawn Area East, Section A, Row H, Grave 79.
