John D Morgan Chartered Architect: A Potted Army Career (or On a Cooks Tour for Free)

A Potted Army Career (or On a Cooks Tour for Free)

1937 Joined the O.T.C. at the Priory School, Middlesex Reg., played flute, Ealing.

1940 Joined the L.D.V. at Glen Aran (kitchen knife & broom handle), Horsham.

Converted to the Home Guard (Ross rifle & Molotov cocktails)

1941 Joined at 17 & 11 months, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Young Soldiers Battalion as Private.

(Lee Enfield 303 rifle) New Forest & Gosport.

1942 Sent to Pre O.C.T.U. Lance corporal,Blackdown.

Posted to the R.M.C. as Officer Cadet,Sandhurst.

1943 Commissioned into the 8^th Royal Irish Hussars (Armoured cars), 2^nd Lieutenant.

Mistakenly sent to the Lancaster Fusiliers (Churchill Crusader Tanks) Welbeck Abbey & Thorsby Hall, awaiting transfer to Middle East.

Sent later to Manchester Regiment (Humber A.C.) Otley Manor.

1943 Sent to await transport to M.E., Bovington.

1943 Shipped out to North Africa to join 8^th Hussars on ‘Duchess of Richmond’.

‘Emit’ train from Algiers to Tripoli, 4 days travel in a station wagon.

8^th H. returned to U.K. for 2^nd Front.

1943 American L.C.T. to Italy as reinforcement for 1^st Army (acquired Colt 45), Terranto.

Joined 10 Corps 1^st Army as Liaison officer, Sparanise.

Sent to 95^th General Hospital (jaundice), Naples.

Went on leave to Positano.

1944 Asked to join D Squadron Kings Dragoon Guards by Col. Harman, Castel de Sangro, but ended up as foot soldiers in the mountains east of Cassino.

1944 Became 5 Troop Leader (Daimler A.C.).

Advanced north:Cassino-Rome-Sessa Arunca-Perugia-Florence-Rimini.

Withdrew back to Bari to go to Greece.

1945 L.C.T. (Royal Navy) to Piraeus and sent to Athens Airport,Greece.

Sorties north to flush out E.L.A.S. and on to Kifissia (acquired a Harley Davidson).

O.C. advance party for regiment’s return to Egypt.

Regiment reunited for first time at Medina, Cairo.

Moved from Egypt, through the Sinai Desert, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Damascus to the Djeble Druze.

Made Honorary Officer of the regiment D.D.

Went on leave to Kyrenia,Cyprus.

1946 Returned to Palestine, promoted Capt. O.C. 75mm gun troop,Rosh Pina.

Return to U.K. to be demobbed.

Enrol at the Bartlett School of Architecture, London.

1947 Join the Inns of Court Regiment T.A., Chancery Lane, London.

Parked Daimler A.C. in the cloister of Greys Inn (bomb damaged).

Summer training camps in Newquay, Crowborough, Thetford, Kirkcudbright and Weymouth.

1952 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation

1953 Resigned to set up architectural practice in Charterhouse Square, London.

The Trials of a Post-War Architect (From 1951)

Obtaining building approval for couple intending to marry. Obtaining planning byelaw brick & timber allocation (postwar restrictions). Designing & building a house, unfortunately couple breaks off engagement. Client had to sell or rent property to young married couple only.

Byworth, Petworth: Contractor informs me that cow has fallen into the foundations. What should he do?

House in Sutton, Sussex: Lady Saunders complains that boiler wakes her in the morning. We have to move it into the adjoining garage with new chimney.

Red Lion Yard, Mayfair: client has disagreement with painter with regard to the colour that she chose for the dining room, blames the architect and never sees him again. She sells the house to American millionaire who employs us for alterations but on his trip from America, knocks up his mistress (headlines in the Evening Standard).

Architect designs offices in corner of Broadwick & Berwick Street. Client sells the design to 3^rd party. Architect finds difficulty in obtaining fees, ultimately helped by well-known solicitor.

Architect designs office layout in Lambs Condor Street. Client complains that partitions are not soundproofed. Specialists try alternative solutions. Final solution: chairman sacks managing director.

Old Street: architect finds difficulty in extracting fees from client. Finally agrees to exchange drawing for a cheque.

Architect designs layout for estate in Great Park, Reigate. Irish labourers employed to lay sewage & surface water drains have disagreement with client over final payment.

Two years later, owner of house adjoining the lake complained of paper floating on the water. Architect checks final manhole to find contractors had switched drains with dire consequences. Lake drained during hot summer, house starts to subside but returns to near normal when lake refilled.

W. Harold Perry tessellated tiles on fascia fall onto car showroom forecourt. Wrong mix.

Barbecue in basement of Chester Terrace: Smoke leaks into ground floor kitchen, requiring 80 ft. of flexible fluepipe installed.

Shopping centre contractor uses Isocrete (rather like porridge) on roof of supermarket in Cheltenham. Material does not set, has to be dug out and replaced.

Multistorey Refuse & Lorry park for St Pancras Council: contractor goes bankrupt. Work delayed for 18 months. No work, no fees.

Supermarket for Co-Op Grimsby: at the official opening, councilors name misspelt on plaque.

Triangle Site, Harrow: chairman of the National Coal Board requires fireplace on 6^th floor. Chimney punched through 5 floors.

Eli Lilly extension: contractor fails to inform building inspector of the foundations. Local authority insists on contractor digging round the massive foundations to verify suitability even so insists on Letter of Indemnity from client.

Western Glass, Basingstoke: contractor builds extension to warehouse. Brickwork wall collapses in high wind, as it had not been correctly built.

Ashford, Kent: 11 storey office block, water penetration through Alpine windows. Remedial work unsuccessful, sub-contractor admits design fault and then goes bankrupt. Architects sued for 2 million pounds, finally settled at under 1 million.

Craven House Hotel, Lancaster Gate: client goes bankrupt owing architect £6, 000 and £600 due to VAT. Architect refuses to pay and the law is finally changed.

If you can survive all this you’ll be an Architect, my son!!!

John D Morgan Chartered Architect

A Potted Army Career (or On a Cooks Tour for Free)

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