Born at Carlow, Ireland.
Enlisted at Dublin on the 14th of June 1848.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: None shown.
Rode with No. 4 Troop. (T.S.M. O'Hara.) (See copy of his Troop muster roll in the 17th Lancer "Scrapbook." Was possibly confused by Kinglake with No. 924 John Smith. (See his record.)
From Private to Corporal: 20th of March 1855.
Was N.C.O. I/c Letter Party to the Cavalry Division H.Q. and attached to the 5th Dragoon Guards in September of 1855.
Corporal to Sergeant 18th of April 1856.
Tried by a District Court-martial on the 6th of December 1856 for "Being absent and allowing a prisoner to escape". Found "Not guilty."
Reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 19th of June 1857.
Embarked for India for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
From Private to Cpl, on 1st of April 1858.
The musters for July-September 1858 show him as being "On Field Service" from September of the period.
Reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 6th of January 1859.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Can find no trace on the Mutiny medal roll.
Was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, being recommended for it on the 19th of February 1855, with a gratuity of £5., but it is not known under what circumstances. It seems likely that the great majority of awards for the Crimea were, however, made for acts of gallantry.
At the National archive document W0/25/3251 states, "Medal with four clasps and the Turkish medal lost." And WO/25/3285 states, "Two medals and the Turkish medal lost..." No dates given.
Died at Secunderbad, India, on the 20th of July 1860.
Next of kin: his mother Ann Smith. Living in York.
The India Office records show him as dying of "Febris C.C." at Secunderbad on the 20th of July 1860, aged 28 years. He was buried on the 21st of July by the Revd, J.D. Ostrehaus, Chaplain.
[RM: See also MJ Trow's book, "The Pocket Hercules", a biography of Morris published 2006, where GS swore an affadavit in support of Morris's claim for a VC. From this it can be deduced that he charged with the 17th and should be included among their survivors.]