Deseronto Archives

On this day in 1915, Harty Wilson Morden signed up for the first time in Victoria, British Columbia. He was born in Deseronto on July 26th, 1883 (he says 1885), the son of Cornelius H. Morden (who died in January 1883) and Eliza (née) Buchanan (who died in Deseronto in 1904).

Harty Wilson Morden was described as a banker, five feet eight and a half inches tall, with hazel eyes, iron grey hair and a fresh complexion. He was allocated the regimental number 102663. Morden enlisted for a second time on April 27th, 1916, in Ottawa, noting that he had previously served for four months in the “51st Victoria Rifles, B.C.”. He was given a number of 246179. On October 6th, 1917, he enlisted again, this time in Toronto, with a number of 2365588. On this attestation form, he stated that he had served as a lieutenant in the 252nd Battalion (Lindsay) for eight months. This third attestation paper is marked “Overseas Training Co. University of Toronto COTC”. A form on his service file notes that he was struck off the strength of the 207th Battalion with the rank of sergeant in order to take up a commission in the 52nd Battalion.

Morden gained a commission in the British Royal Berkshire Regiment in August 1918. His batman was Private George Frederick Barnes, for whom Morden wrote a letter of recommendation after the war.

Morden survived the war and sailed to Canada on the RMS Baltic in October 1919. He married Maud Killmaster in Vancouver on August 2nd, 1930. He died on December 2nd, 1958 and was buried at the Glenwood Cemetery in Picton, Ontario.