John Morrison, 12 North Dell

6 April 1945
Mrs A Morrison, 5 North Dell, has been officially informed that her gallant and most worthy son, Flying-Officer John Morrison, passed away in a prisoner of war hospital in Belgium on 20 April 1944. His bomber was reported missing after the first big-scale attack on Nuremburg, March 30th, 1944, but nothing was known of his fate until very recently. The Air Ministry has now disclosed that his bomber, on its homeward journey, crashed on Belgian soil. Apparently, only John and one other member of the crew managed to extricate themselves. The Red Cross authorities have discovered that he was taken into hospital where, after three weeks, he died. The Commanding Officer speaks of this lad's manliness, ability and engineering skill in the highest terms of admiration. He considered him "one of the most efficient and reliable flight-engineers of the Squadron". John proved this on a previous bombing mission when, by conspicuous bravery and ingenuity he saved the whole crew from having to bale out in enemy territory. John was of outstanding ability and high moral character. His life was a shining promise to which all those who knew and loved him looked forward with keen expectation. But, ere his prime, he was caught in the raging storm and was prematurely swept away, with his powers undeveloped and unfulfilled. And so the old question recurs - is that the end of all things for him? If that were so, we must all have been born and fashioned to be mocked and life itself is but a despairing sham. The human heart instinctively and periously refuses to cherish such a sombre thought. And Easter Week provides the greatest and most glorious answer of all. Against the painful sense of life's incompleteness we have the sure hope and promise of its development and completion in another world. We remember that the best qualities which this lad so richly possessed were deathless. He wanted life, high, heroic life. In its quest he fell. But let us not unduly grieve for him. He has found the life he sought - life at the maximum, life that never palls or stales, life replete with eternal interest and zest. We grieve not for his young life, for he is safe, but we grieve for the home which has lost the companionship of a most worthy and gallant son.