Death of Able Seaman Richard Morgan, 26
ABLE Seaman Richard Morgan, 26, was one of the very last men to die in the war when he drowned on Armistice Day off the coast of Plymouth.
The timing of his death and the fact he has been misleadingly recorded as the last serviceman to die in the war mean a fair bit is known about his life.
At the time of his death, he was serving with destroyer HMS Garland, docked at Devonport, Plymouth. He died when a smaller boat he was on, possibly going to or from shore, capsized.
Amateur historian Dr Naylor Firth, of Itton, Monmouthshire, told the BBC: “We do not know the time of day he died. Perhaps he was the last Welshman to die, or the last navy reservist.
“All we truly know is that he died on the same day that millions were celebrating peace and the hope that this brought.”
Richard Morgan was born on July 7, 1892, the son of Albert Morgan, a farmer, and Mary Ann Morgan. He had a brother and three sisters and was listed as a woodcutter on the day he enlisted, February 14, 1916.
His service record describes him as 5ft 8in tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion.
He is buried in a remote, sixth century church in Kilgwrrwg, Monmouthshire, the Church of the Holy Cross. His name is inscribed into a stained-glass window there, alongside the names of two brothers who also died, Joseph and Frederick Bevan. The Bevans and Morgans were neighbours.