David Lloyd Popkin Morgan, MC – Welsh Regiment, 24th Battalion

Captain David Lloyd Popkin Morgan, MC – Welsh Regiment, 24^th Battalion

Family Background

David Lloyd Popkin Morgan

David Henry Morgan and Jane Sybil Prothero
marriage certificate
Parish Church, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire

David Lloyd Popkin Morgan was born in 1887, the son of David Henry Morgan and Jane Sybil Prothero, who were married in 1883 at the Parish Church, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the Morgan family were living at 35 Bryn Road, Swansea. All members of the household used their initials when completing the census return. David H. Morgan, aged 36 and born in Carmarthenshire, was employed as a clerk, while his wife Jane S., also 36, managed the household. Their children were Marjorie P. (6) and David L. P. (4), both attending school. Also present were Jane’s sisters, Maria Elizabeth Protheroe (39) and H. M. Protheroe (30). The family employed two servants, Jane Rosser (25) and Mary Thomas (15).

Education – Prospect House, Llandovery

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, David, aged 14, was recorded as a boarder at Prospect House, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. Prospect House was a well-established private boarding school, catering for the sons of professional and middle-class families and offering a broad preparatory education with an emphasis on mathematics, science, and classical studies. Llandovery had a strong reputation as an educational centre in mid-Wales, and the disciplined academic environment at Prospect House helped prepare David for his later technical career as a metallurgist and assayer.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census records the family living at 7 Bryn Road, Swansea. David Henry Morgan, now 56, was still employed as a clerk, and Jane Sybil, also 56, was present in the household. Their children included Marjorie Prothero (26), David Lloyd Popkin (24), employed as a metallurgical assayer, and Edward Geoffrey (13), who was attending school. Also present was Ethel Marten, a 21-year-old servant.

Civilian Career

At the outbreak of the First World War, David was employed overseas as a metallurgist and assayer in Peru, working within the mining and metals industry.

Military Service

David returned to Britain and enlisted in the Pembroke Yeomanry, receiving a commission in October 1915. The battalion dismounted in November 1915 and landed in Egypt in March 1916, where the brigade was absorbed into the 4th Dismounted Brigade. In February 1917, the Pembroke Yeomanry merged with the Glamorgan Yeomanry to form the 24^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment.

Palestine Campaign, Beersheba and the Military Cross

In December 1917, the battalion marched into Palestine, taking part in operations that broke the Ottoman defensive line. The opening action of this advance was the attack on Beersheba on 31^st October 1917, a key phase of the Third Battle of Gaza. Beersheba was strategically vital, anchoring the eastern end of the Turkish line and containing essential water wells needed for further operations.

British forces launched a coordinated assault involving infantry, artillery, and mounted troops. Dismounted yeomanry units, including those that later formed the 24^th Welsh, advanced against heavily defended Ottoman trenches under intense fire. The capture of Beersheba, achieved with the assistance of the famous Australian Light Horse charge, proved decisive and led to the fall of Gaza and the subsequent advance towards Jerusalem, which was captured in December 1917. For his gallantry during the fighting at Beersheba, David Lloyd Popkin Morgan was awarded the Military Cross, and he was later promoted to the rank of Captain.

Battle of Tell Asur and Death

Following the capture of Jerusalem, British forces advanced into the Judaean Hills to secure the high ground north of the city and protect it from counter-attack. The Battle of Tell Asur, fought between 8^th and 12^th March 1918, formed part of this effort. Tell Asur was a prominent hill and vital observation point, heavily defended by Ottoman forces entrenched in stone sangars and machine-gun positions.

The fighting took place over steep, rocky terrain under difficult weather conditions, with British infantry advancing up exposed slopes under heavy fire. Casualties were severe as units struggled to dislodge well-prepared Ottoman defenders from the commanding heights. Dismounted yeomanry battalions, including the 24^th Welsh, were heavily engaged in these attacks.

It was during this hard-fought action, on 9^th March 1918, that Captain David Lloyd Popkin Morgan, MC, was killed in action while leading his men. His death occurred during a crucial phase of the battle, as British forces pressed forward to secure the high ground overlooking Jerusalem.

Burial and Commemoration

South Wales Daily Post

David Lloyd Popkin Morgan
Jerusalem War Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Captain Morgan is buried at Jerusalem War Cemetery. His death was reported in the South Wales Daily Post, which recorded that his parents were then living at Church Park, Mumbles.

Family Loss

David’s uncle, Lewis Laugharne Morgan, who was also a recipient of the Military Cross, was likewise a casualty of the First World War, marking another tragic loss to the family.