REMEMBERING JOHN IORWERTH PALMER MORGAN

In 1921, John Morgan was born in Mill House, Tongwynlais. His parents Harold and Frances moved to Llanishen when John was a child as his father was a teacher in Llanishen school. This was located in the old building, next to the church which now houses Llanishen Good Neighbours. His father eventually became the headmaster in the village school. Llanishen was then a village on the outskirts of Cardiff. John had an older sister and a younger brother. As a young boy, he joined Llanishen and Lisvane Scout Group, progressing to be a Rover Scout. When the 2^nd World War came along, John volunteered with some of his Scouting friends to join the RAF reserve.  Unfortunately John and two of his friends were killed in action and their names are commemorated in the memorial in the Lady Chapel in St Isan Church.

Evan Palmer, one of our Scouts, with some help from his Dad, started to undertake research into the details of the lives and deaths of these three Scouts and in particular John Morgan. John’s plane was shot down at Sleen, in Northern Holland in 1943 and all six airmen died. After the bodies were removed and buried, the local people hid the plane wreckage. After the war, a memorial was erected around the metal of the plane fuselage. The names of the dead airmen were embossed onto the metal, including that of Sergeant Morgan. The memorial is currently cared for by the year 6 children of the local school. Every year, at the end of April, a service of Remembrance is held for the 6 airmen and care of the memorial is handed to the next year 6 children. Evan and Nick contacted the headmaster at the Fountain School in Sleen (Fontein School) about John Morgan and the Remembrance Service which our Scout Group hold in St Isans Church during November. The headmaster sent details of the annual service and invited members of the Scout Group to attend the service on 30^th April this year. So ……Meme, curly Sue and I are off on the plane to Amsterdam on Wednesday on an important international Scouting mission. Several people have kindly helped to dig up information about John Morgan, to present to the children in Sleen: Evan and Nick, Ces James and Sylvia Evans from Llanishen History Society and Rob Davies, our Group President, for a picture of John Iorwerth Palmer Morgan. We are hoping to forge a Scouting connection with Sleen. Meme, Sue and I are grateful to Dick Elzing, the headmaster at the Fountain School and his wife Ali for inviting us and providing us with accommodation for two nights. Finally, thanks to the Scout Group for agreeing to pay for our travel costs. #excitingscouting!