On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of C/TD/X 1566 Able Seaman Alfred Morley, serving on H.M.S. Orion with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who died 29/05/1941.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Morley, of North Shields, Northumberland.
The Shields Daily News 28/03/1940 reports:-
SHIELDS NAVAL STOKER KILLED AT SEA
BROTHER IN NAVY DOES NOT KNOW
Leading Stoker Walter Philip Morley, son of Mr and Mrs H. Morley of Dene Terrace North Shields has been killed at sea aboard one of H.M. ships. Aged 32, he was married, had one child and lived at Maidstone, Kent. He had been in the Navy for the past 15 years and was seen by his parents for the first time for five years last October. He was home about three weeks ago.
He was Mr and Mrs Morley’s second son, and his brother. Alfred. aged 22, is also in the Navy.
He does not yet know of his elder brother’s death. There are three daughters and one other son in the family.
After leaving Western School, North Shields, where he was educated, Morley was employed for a time as a painter with a local firm. Afterwards he joined the Navy.
The Shields Daily News 06/06/1941 reports:-
NORTH SHIELDS SEAMAN KILLED
FAMILY’S 2 WAR LOSSES
Within half-an-hour of receiving an Admiralty telegram announcing that their youngest son, Able Seaman Alfred Morley, R.N.V.R., had been wounded on war service, Mr and Mrs H. W. Morley. of 21 Dene Terrace North Shields, got a second telegram cancelling the first and giving intimation of the death of their son.
This is the second occasion that Mr and Mrs Morley have been bereaved during the war, for their second son, Petty Officer Stoker Walter Philip Morley, aged 32. was reported missing and probably lost in March, 1940, since when no news has been received of him.
Letters of condolence in each instance have been received from the Admiralty.
Seaman Morley was born in North Shields and educated at Western Board School. He served his time as a driller at Smith’s Dock and had just completed his apprenticeship when war broke out and he was called up as a member of the R.N.V.R. His parents have not seen him since as he has been serving abroad. He was a single man.
Mr and Mrs Morley have another son. Albert, working on munitions, and three daughters.
Acknowledgements: Barney Rice.
Alfred Morley is remembered at Gateshead on G39.103 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
