H.F.S. Morgan

Who was H.F.S. Morgan?

Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan known as H.F.S. was an English sports car manufacturer and founder of the Morgan Motor Company and its Chairman from 1937 until his death in 1959.

Henry 'Harry' Morgan was born in Morton Jeffries Rectory, Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire where his father, Prebendary H. George Morgan, was the local curate, and spent his early years there along with his sister Dorothy. He attended Marlborough School but suffered from poor health possibly caused by malnutrition and was withdrawn by his parents and sent to Italy to recover. On returning he went to the Crystal Palace School of Engineering in Sydenham London and then joined the Great Western Railway company as an apprentice. It was during this period that he survived a brake failure while driving a hired 3½ hp Benz on a 1 in 6 gradient between Bromyard and Hereford. Paternal joy over his survival may have been slightly tempered by the resulting £28 repair bill received by his father. In 1902 with the help of a gift from his godfather he bought his first car, a Star.

He left the GWR in late 1904 and with his friend Leslie Bacon opened a motor sales and servicing garage in Malvern Link in May 1905 with agencies for Darracq and Wolseley cars. As well as this, he ran early bus services between Malvern Link and Malvern Wells, and later to Gloucester.