More about Ernest Richard Morris

Ernest R Morris was the husband of Mrs Ethel J Morris, 48 Sugden Road, Lavender Hill, London. He was employed as a Fitter and Turner when, in July 1896, he volunteered to join the Royal Navy as a Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class. After training at HMS Pembroke, the Naval Barracks at Chatham he first went to sea in the battleship HMS Repulse in 1897. Further training ashore took place and he returned to sea in the battleship HMS Goliath in 1900 remaining onboard for three years and qualifying as a an Engine Room Artificer Third Class. His next sea draft was two years as a Chief ERA in the survey ship HMS Hearty. In 1909 he transferred to the submarine service and was based in the submarine depot ships Vulcan and Alecto. When war broke out he was serving on HM Submarine C24 and from February 1916 he was based in the depot ship HMS Maidstone and serving in HM Submarine E5. The E5 was lost with all thirty crew, cause not known and some sources date the sinking as 9 March 1916. The wreck was identified in 2016 off the East Frisian Islands in the North Sea. Ernest Morris is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent and there is an obituary notice in the Courier dated 24 April 1916 Courier noting him as late of Broughty Ferry and Leith.