Morny Wing.
The champion
flat race jockey.
Mornington Albert Wing, born 2 Aug 1896, Albert St, Doncaster.
Written
"Mornington G. Wing" on mar cert 1939, but that seems to have wife's father's name wrong,
so not sure how accurate it is.
Almost always written "Morny", but "Morney" on grave.
He was named after the champion jockey
Morny Cannon
[Herbert Mornington Cannon, born 1873]
who his father admired.
Morny Cannon was
British flat race champion jockey
six times in the 1890s.
Morny Wing became a
flat race jockey.
First season was 1913.
He won Autumn Cup, Liverpool, 1913.
Apprentice jockey for
William Walters
at Newmarket.
He won Queen's Prize, Kempton Park,
Surrey, 1914.
In 1914 he was 3rd in the jockeys' championship in Britain.
WWI broke out 1914
and lasted to 1918.
He
rode in India
for a time
during the war.
He rode 5 winners in one day at
Calcutta in Mar 1916.
His career in India was recalled later in
Sunday Independent, December 13, 1936.
He
came to Ireland to ride 1917
[1949 article].
There was a story that he came to Ireland to avoid
conscription in
WWI.
(Conscription was introduced in Britain in 1916.
It was never applied to Ireland.)
He
mar 1stly, 20 Sept 1918,
to Sheila Flanagan [born 1900].
He is listed as "professional jockey" at mar.
He became Catholic on marriage.
Sheila was pregnant at marriage (child born Mar 1919).
At daughter's birth March 1919
he is jockey, living 7 Collier Rd, Cambridge
(see map).
At son's birth 1920
he is jockey, address is her family home
Leicester House, Crumlin, Co.Dublin.
At dau's birth 1921 they were living Walshestown
(would be one of the
three Walshestowns
in Co.Kildare).
They settled at Newbridge, Co.Kildare
(near the Curragh).
At children's births 1923 and 1925 they are living Gordon House, Newbridge.
Champion flat race jockey of Ireland:
Morny Wing was
champion flat race jockey of Ireland anywhere between
8 and 15 times (sources differ, need to see full list of champions).
He was apparently champion in 1928,
1937, 1938, 1939,
1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945,
1947.
He
rode for many different owners and trainers.
He rode the most number of
Irish classic
wins ever.
He
rode 23 Irish classic winners,
as follows
(all of these races are at the
Curragh):
-
Record
7 wins in
Irish 1000 Guineas,
in
1922, 1923
(the first two races),
1931, 1937, 1940, 1945, 1947.
-
Record
7 wins in
Irish St Leger, in
1920, 1923, 1930, 1938, 1942, 1945, 1947.
-
Record 6 wins in Irish Derby,
in 1921, 1923, 1930, 1938, 1942, 1946.
-
2 wins in
Irish 2000 Guineas,
one of them was 1942.
-
1 win in
Irish Oaks.
He also had 2 wins in
Ulster Derby.
Also won the Barcelona Derby, Spain, 1921.
Cuthbert Hamshaw court case, 1926:
-
In 1926 the English jockey
Cuthbert Hamshaw
(born 1893, rode in Ireland)
took a case against Morny Wing at the High Court,
accusing him of adultery with his wife, which Wing angrily denied.
-
While the High Court
case was still ongoing,
Wing was fined
in a District Court case at Newbridge over abusive behaviour towards
Hamshaw in July 1926.
- See Evening Herald,
4 Sept 1926.
- See Irish Times,
6 Sept 1926.
- See Irish Independent,
6 Sept 1926.
Morny and Sheila
lived at "Marsella",
opposite St. Patrick's Church (Church of Ireland),
Newbridge, Co.Kildare.
See map
and
street view.
Living "Marsella" at son's birth 1928.
Though looks like "Marsala".
Liam Cosgrave recalled that
the Alderman said:
"I never heard such language as when Morny was drunk".
Listed at "Marsella", Newbridge, at son's birth 1930.
Though looks like "Nur-ala" at Sheila's death 1933.
Sheila dies, 1933:
Sheila died 5 Aug 1933, S Co.Dublin, age 33 yrs.
See
death in
[GROI].
She died tragically, smoking in bed.
She had been admitted to hospital (or "a nursing home") after suffering a nervous breakdown
(apparently NOT after having a baby).
She woke up, lit a cigarette, fell asleep, bedclothes and nightdress caught fire, she died of her injuries.
[GROI] says she died of burns in some illegible "Home" in Co.Dublin.
See
report of death in
Irish Independent,
Monday, August 7, 1933.
She was bur
Newbridge Cemetery, Co.Kildare.
Funeral
attendance included
Bridget Redmond, TD
and
Mr. Justice O'Byrne
and Sheila's uncle
W.T. Cosgrave.
See report of funeral,
Irish Independent,
Tuesday, August 8, 1933.
Inquest into death held 9 Aug 1933.
Morny left with young family.
He
mar 2ndly, 24 April 1939, to Josie Bell
[Josephine, born 11 Apr 1913]. No issue.
She was from a racing family.
Morny would end up working with her brother.
They
lived Windsor Lodge, Naas, Co.Kildare.
See map
and
street view.
Racehorse trainer:
Morny
retired as jockey 1949.
See
[1949 article].
He became a trainer 1950.
He trained first
at
Rosewell House,
beside
the Curragh racecourse,
Co.Kildare.
See
map.
His brother-in-law
Kevin Bell
was training at
Loughbrown Lodge,
beside the Curragh racecourse.
In 1951 Morny came to join Kevin Bell in a partnership at Loughbrown Lodge.
They ran a racehorse training stables together for a short time.
See Irish Independent, March 8, 1951.
He (with Kevin Bell)
won
Irish St Leger 1951
with "Do Well",
his only classic win as a trainer.
He
retired as trainer after 1952 season.
See Irish Independent, December 4, 1952.
Kevin Bell continued the business.
Morny continued to own horses, but no longer trained himself.
Morny dies, 1965:
He died 4 May 1965, at his home, Windsor Lodge, Naas, age 68 yrs.
See death notice
in
Irish Times,
May 5, 1965.
See obituary
in
Irish Times,
May 5, 1965.
Funeral 6 May 1965.
He was bur Newbridge Cemetery, Co.Kildare.
Josie built a house a few doors from her mother's old house,
at St.Joseph's Ave, off Charlotte St,
Newbridge, Co.Kildare.
She died 27 Apr 1992, age 79 yrs.
She was bur Newbridge Cemetery, Co.Kildare.
Morny
had issue by 1st wife:
- Doris Wing,
"Bunty", born 1 Mar 1919, 9 Brunswick Walk, Cambridge.
(todo) See birth of Doris Wing,
[GRO.UK],
2nd qr 1919,
Cambridge,
vol 3b,
p 560 (or poss. 360 or 660).
This has mother's maiden name Flanagan.
This is definitely her.
NOT born early 1922.
She is NOT the Dorothy Maie Wing,
born
Dublin North, 3rd qr 1922.
At mar 1941
Doris was living 14 Beech Way,
Epsom, Surrey.
She was working as "Book-keeper" for a "Provisions Merchant".
She
mar 22 Nov 1941
to John Waldron
and had issue.
They mar at St.Joseph's RC church, Epsom.
-
Wally Wing,
Walter Wing, jockey,
born Mornington Walter Wing, 4 May 1920,
88 Grove Park (maternity home), Rathmines, Co.Dublin.
See birth cert
from here.
-
Sheila Wing,
born 18 Sept 1921, Walshestown, must be Co.Kildare.
Birth not registered with
[GROI]
until 1928.
- Diana Wing,
Di, born 7 Nov 1923, Gordon House, Newbridge.
Birth not registered with
[GROI]
until 1928.
Looks like "Diana Toussaints Wing"
on birth cert.
Think lived California.
She died 1970s, in her early 50s, of a heart attack.
-
Albert Wing,
Mornington Albert Wing, 2nd son,
NOT Alley,
born 8 Mar 1925, Gordon House, Newbridge.
Birth not registered with
[GROI]
until 1928.
- Laurence Patrick Wing,
after grandfather,
born 23 July 1928, "Marsella", Newbridge
[GROI].
He
died at birth.
There is another Laurence.
- Pat Wing,
Patricia.
She fl 2006, living
Orange County, California.
- Larry Wing,
Laurence Joseph Wing
(after grandfather),
born 22 May 1930, Newbridge, Co.Kildare,
see birth
in
[GROI],
fl 1965,
Morny Wing's obituary 1965 says he is survived by "two sons",
and death notice says he is regretted by his "sons" (plural).
Aidan McMahon Glynn
thought there was a son Edward, but not sure that is true.
