Sir William George Morris

Colonel Sir William George Morris (12 February 1847 – 26 February 1935) was a British Army officer who served with the Royal Engineers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, observing the 1882 transit of Venus and developing an expertise in geodesic surveying. He also played football as an amateur for the Royal Engineers, appearing in the 1878 FA Cup Final.

Family and education Morris was born on 12 February 1847 at Malagaum Camp, near Kumta in the Bombay Presidency, India where his father, William John Morris (1809–1870) was a lieutenant-colonel in the Bombay Army. His mother was Georgiana née Cunningham (1824–1900).

Morris was educated at Cheltenham College, before joining the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. ), he was not a member of any of the regiment's teams which reached the FA Cup Finals in 1872 and 1874 and won the trophy in 1875.

By the time of the 1878 FA Cup Final, Morris was "approaching the veteran stage", being aged 31. The cup final was played at Kennington Oval on 23 March 1878, against the Wanderers, who had won the cup in the two previous seasons, with Morris selected at full-back. The Wanderers took an early lead through Jarvis Kenrick, before the Engineers gradually came back into the match. In the 20th minute, the ball went out of play close to the Wanderers' goal-line. Morris took the ensuing throw-in, delivering the ball into the goalmouth, from where it was bundled across the line for an equalising goal. Some modern sources state that Morris actually scored the goal, although contemporary newspaper reports in The Field, The Sporting Life and Bell's Life in London all state that Morris took the throw-in which led to a "scrimmage" or "bully" in front of the Wanderers' goal. Although the "Sappers" continued to put up a hard fight, they were unable to prevent the Wanderers scoring twice more, thus winning their third consecutive FA Cup with a final score of 3–1.

Military career Morris was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 10 July 1867, spending his early years training at Chatham and Aldershot. On 21 October 1871, he was sent to Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, remaining there until 9 January 1874,

On returning to England in 1874, he entered the Staff College, graduating with honours at the beginning of 1876.

In 1882–83, he was in charge of the British expedition based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to study the Transit of Venus, under the overall command of David Gill. The party were based at Jimbour, 150 miles north-west of Brisbane, where they spent six weeks in November/December 1882. Despite observing a large number of double stars and clusters, the party failed in their mission to observe the actual transit of Venus on 7 December because of cloud cover.

During late 1886, the party was again reduced for financial reasons, leaving Morris with only five NCOs to continue the survey. and to lieutenant colonel on 14 July 1893. On 3 June 1893, Morris was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) "for services connected with the Geodetic Survey of the Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal".

In his 1896 report of the survey, David Gill included Morris's work, with this praise for Morris: Colonel Morris' services have been such as very few men have the combined physique and capacity to render; these services have been given by him with unstinted disregard of his own comfort, and with a thoroughness and heartiness which only love of the work and a high sense of duty could inspire.

On 22 July 1898, Morris was appointed colonel on the staff of the Royal Engineers and returned to South Africa, acting as district inspector based at Cape Town during the Second Boer War. During his time in Cape Town, Morris and his staff arranged for the construction of lines of blockhouses across the war zone. For his services in South Africa during the Boer war, Morris was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) from 29 November 1900.

After the war had ended in June 1902, Morris vacated the Cape Colony command and was placed on half-pay four months later. He again linked up with David Gill, when he was in November 1902 appointed Superintendent of the Ordnance Survey of Transvaal and Orange River Colony, with Gill acting as scientific adviser. Morris supervised the measurement of five baselines and eight geodetic chains, comprising 178 triangles. continuing in his post as a civilian.

Marriage and children On 27 April 1871, Morris married Edith Sophia Tireman (1849–1917) at St Margaret's Church at Bowers Gifford in Essex, where the bride's father, the Revd. William Tireman was the parish priest. The wedding ceremony was conducted by The Right Reverend Thomas Claughton, Bishop of Rochester, a friend of the bride's father.

The couple had four children: Guy Brooke Morris (1874–1904) Winifred Morris (1875–1962) Lionel Tireman Morris (1876–1920) Hugh Cunningham Morris (1878–1972)

Winifred was first married to Colonel Alfred Digby Legard (1878–1939) and then to Lieut.-Colonel George Henry Addison (1876–1964), whose father, George William Addison had played football for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 and 1874 FA Cup Finals.

Following Edith's death on 7 January 1917, William Morris married Ethel Joan Warren (1866–1956), daughter of the late Mr. Robert Warren of Gosford Pines near Ottery St. Mary in Devon,

Retirement and death On returning to the United Kingdom in 1907, Morris retired to Betws-y-Coed in North Wales, living firstly at "Fron Heulog" before settling at "Islwyn".

He died at "Islwyn" on 26 February 1935, aged 88,