Bert Morgan was one of six newly enlisted players who were farewelled by the Toowoomba soccer club Cities in August 1915. His younger brother Sydney was another of the Cities players farewelled.
The brothers were allocated to the 2nd Light Horse Regiment and departed together in October, but their wars quickly diverted. The evacuation of Gallipoli meant the reorganisation of Australian forces reorganised, seeing Morgan reallocated to the 1st Light Horse Reserve Regiment, which fought in Egypt. He took part in the Senussi campaign in 1916, according to the Toowoomba Chronicle of 5 July 1919.
In January 1917, Morgan was transferred to the School of Instruction, where he received 99% marks for his Non-commissioned Officers class. He then moved to the 21st Reserve Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps for Instruction. Training courses in aeronautics continued in Egypt until June 1917 when Morgan was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and transferred to the 67th Squadron of the Australian Flying Corp. He was graded as a Flying Officer and promoted to full Lieutenant in September. In November, Morgan was further graded as a Pilot.
No details of his missions are contained in his military record, but some details were provided in a letter which appeared in the Toowoomba Chronicle on 16 March 1918, written on 23 January:
As a special medal has been struck for the first troops to enter Jerusalem, it may interest you to know that an old reader of your paper was the first man to fly over the ‘Holy City.’ I and my observer, Lieut Beaton, late of Central Queensland, were returning from a long trip over ‘Jacko’ when we passed over Jerusalem at 11:30 on December 12, 1917, circled round, and reported the occupation by our troops. I am a Toowoombaite, my father having lived in Herries-street for a good many years, and when I left Toowoomba, early in 1915, Messrs. Annand and Booth’s manager for country orders.
There is a gap in Morgan’s record until July 1918 when he was sent to the U. K. It is unclear whether he became a trainer or was there to undertake more training. Morgan was in the U.K. for armistice and was finally struck off strength in May 1919.
Morgan returned to Toowoomba, as did his brother Sydney, who ended the war in the Army Pay Corps after time at the front. While Sydney appeared on the Toowoomba British Football Association Honour Board, unveiled in May 1918, Morgan was surprisingly absent. That may have been an error in the list of those honoured provided to the Darling Downs Gazette and the Toowoomba Chronicle (both published on 9 May), for an “F. Morgan” appears on the list but no corresponding enlistee can be found.
Morgan would marry Thirza Logan in 1920. They lived in Southport until Thirza died in 1925 after an operation. He married Anna Soegaard in 1927.
Albert John Morgan died in Brisbane in 1953.