Freddie Morgan

Freddie Morgan started shooting when he was only 10-years-old. In 1909, he was selected by the Transvaal government to represent the Transvaal School Cadets at the famous British shooting range at Bisley. He won the combined competition for cadets and the South Africa Cup for rapid shooting. In 1920, after serving in World War I with the Witwatersrand Rifles, Morgan attained his greatest achievement bu becoming the best marksman of the Commonwealth and also the first from Africa to win the King’s Prize.

After returning from his European tour, which included the 1920 Olympics, Morgan settled in the British protectorate of South Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). For another 40 years he continued to be one of South Africa’s most successful shooters, winning all major competitions several times, including South African championships. While he made his first appearance at the British Bisley tournament as a 15-year-old, he made his last 51 years later in 1960 for the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland rifle team, still winning several events. Morgan retired from active competition in 1963 but still worked as a coach. In the same year, he was awarded the MBE. He lived in Gwelo but moved to Bulawayo just months before he died.

Morgan also represented Rhodesia at soccer (1922-23) and cricket (1923-24) and was an accomplished motor cycle racer. In 1945, he was a member of the Broken Hill Railways Bowling Club in North Rhodesia (now Zambia) that won the national fours championship. His son Hilton, who represented Rhodesia and South Africa as a hockey player and Rhodesia in soccer, was named Rhodesia’s Sportsman of the Year in 1957.