Flight Lieutenant Walter McDonald Morison (26 November 1919 – 26 March 2009) was a Royal Air Force pilot who became a prisoner of war and was sent to Colditz for attempting to steal an enemy aircraft during the Second World War.
Walter McDonald Morison | |
|---|---|
Walter Morison (right) with Lorne Welch after being recaptured wearing German Luftwaffe uniforms in 1943 | |
| Born | 26 November 1919 Beckenham, Kent, England |
| Died | 26 March 2009 (aged 89) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939–1945 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 103 Squadron RAF |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
Early life
He was born at Beckenham, Kent. While in his first year at Trinity College, Cambridge, the Second World War began; he volunteered the same day.[1]
Royal Air Force service
Morison joined the Royal Air Force at the outbreak of war in September 1939, and was trained as a pilot (he already knew how to fly a glider[1]). He was commissioned as a pilot officer on 30 November 1940[2] and assigned to No. 241 Squadron, flying Westland Lysanders.[1] He was soon transferred to a training unit as an instructor, before joining No. 103 Squadron in May 1942.[1]
On the night of 5/6 June 1942, while flying a Wellington bomber on his third mission and the first as captain,[3] he was hit by another Wellington X3339 from 156 Squadron, piloted by Sgt Guy Chamberlin RAFVR. He was the sole survivor of the five-man crew.[4] Coincidentally, Morison had been Chamberlin's instructor at RAF Lossiemouth around the beginning of 1942.[5] All the crew of X3339 were killed and are buried in the same row at the Reischwald Forest War Cemetery near Kleve in Germany.[6]
He became a prisoner of war (POW) and was sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 30 November 1942 whilst being held as a POW.[7]
On 12 June 1943, Morison and 23[1] or 25 others escaped from the camp during a delousing break. Twenty-two prisoners left the camp with two "guards", actually two fellow POWs in bogus German uniforms.[1] Once outside, the group split up. The others were quickly recaptured, but he and Flight Lieutenant Lorne Welch, wearing fake uniforms, walked to a nearby airfield and attempted to steal an aircraft, a Junkers W 34.[1] They had to abandon the attempt when the rightful crew appeared to fly away the aircraft. The next day, they returned and tried to steal a biplane, but were caught and eventually sent to Oflag IV-C at Colditz.[1][8]
He was liberated from Colditz by the American army in April 1945.
Post-war
Following the war, Morison qualified as a chartered accountant at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He was articled at Morison, a firm established by his great uncle. Morison then worked at Coopers Bros, the firm that became Coopers & Lybrand, before returning to his family firm, Morison Stoneham. He led the firm as a senior partner through a period of great change from 1960 to 1981 before retiring. Whilst Morison Stoneham was acquired by Tenon (later known as RSM Tenon) one of his legacies that still exists today is Morison International[9] a global association of professional service firms (accountants, auditors, tax and business advisers).
He wrote an account of his life during the war, Flak and Ferrets - One Way to Colditz.
Morison died on 26 March 2009.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Flight Lieutenant Walter Morison". The Telegraph. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ^ "No. 35028". The London Gazette. 31 December 1940. p. 7300.
- ^ Wilson, Patrick (11 September 2000). The War Behind the Wire. Pen and Sword. p. 13. ISBN 9781473820432.
- ^ Chorley, W. R. (3 January 1998). Bomber Command Losses 1942. Midland Publishing. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-904597-89-9. page 119
- ^ According to David Chamberlin (Guy's Son) following a meeting with Walter Morison and with reference to his service log-book.
- ^ "Casualty Details: Chamberlin, Guy Hesketh". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^ "No. 35936". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 March 1943. p. 1191.
- ^ Morison, Walter (1995). Flak and Ferrets - One Way to Colditz. Sentinel. ISBN 978-1-874767-10-7.
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