A Tribute Flt/Lt Tony Morris, DFC, RCA - 233 Squadron, Oulton - 7th October 1920 - 16th June 2005

 

Tony Morris died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack the day after being taken into hospital due to a bad attack of flu.

 

I was a 'spare' Navigator in the only two Navigator crew (the 'first' Navigator being Freddy Freake, with operational coastal experience), our destiny - long range patrols over the Atlantic. I flew three Big Ben patrols as Front Gunner and was only too pleased to join Tony's crew to replace Jack Wallace, wounded by flak on another Big Ben. I don't know if Tony would have been so eager had he known my first 'Op' with him (a 'Window' to somewhere near Wiesbaden) was actually my first real Navigation 'exercise'! My relations with Tony on the Squadron were 'strictly business'. He was my Skipper and I his Navigator. He didn't frequent the Mess like I did and when we went on Leave, we went our separate ways. Our last flight together was a 'Cooks Tour of the Ruhr' (sightseeing for Air and Ground crews to see what Bomber Command had done) on 7th May. It was, perhaps, typical of Tony that, although the cessation of hostilities was imminent, all the guns were manned and a sharp lookout kept. In retrospect, this had the advantage that probably the greatest danger was from other crews engaged on the same exercise but not keeping a good lookout! Mervyn Utas, our co-pilot, tells me that on that day he was ordered to report to Liverpool for repatriation to Canada. Presumably Tony received similar orders.

 

Tony ran what the Royal Navy calls 'a tight ship' - strict discipline, regular checks, no chattering - Tony in charge! His widow, Maria, surprised me by telling me he said that ‘Since 1945 he has been living on borrowed time. ’ I never felt this and can only say that Tony kept to himself whatever fears and problems made him believe that. As far as I and I believe the rest of the crew, were concerned, he was in full control of whatever mechanical, weather or enemy action problems we encountered.

 

Tony was born in Moncton, New Brunswich, of English parents. They moved to California where his father became Technical Director of Universal Studios in Hollywood. Although his father kept him out of the Movie business, Tony socialised with Shirley Temple, Johnny Wiesmuller, Esther Williams, amongst others. He obtained a Degree in Geology before joining the RCAF in 1942. After the war, he became an Oil Geologist, spending several years in California and the Middle East. Tony was more aware than I of the 'Operational risk' when we were at Oulton, but his post war life was not without its risks. When he and Maria were living in Beirut (where one of their nine children was born) a bomb exploded in his office after which they were evacuated. In 1951 we had a reunion in London with he and Maria and crew members including Freddy Freake and Jimmy Bratten, our W/Op. He also came to London for the Bomber Command Reunion at which Sir Arthur Harris was presented with a ceremonial sword. Subsequently he travelled widely, exploring for oil and negotiating contracts. Whenever he was able to be in London, he would contact us. We visited him and Maria in California several times in the last twenty years, lastly in 2003 at Laguna Beach on our way home from New Zealand

 

Andy Barron

 

 

This article is from the Spring 2007 issue of Confound and Destroy