Walter Morison

Morison ended up in German hands on 6th June 1942 when his Vickers Wellington DV 699 collided with another Wellington, believed to be X3339 of 156 Squadron, on route to Essen. Morison was the only survivor of either crew but dislocated his shoulder and was concussed when his parachute decent ended in some trees. 

"I was now a Prisoner of War - a Kriegsgefangener, a 'Kriegie' - but standing groggily in that early morning hay field I had precious little idea what to expect."

The first mention of Morison's future occupation comes on p78 after he has been captured and moved to Stalag Luft III, the Prisoner of War camp of 'The Great Escape' fame.

"Among the books were works on accountancy. Before the war there had been an idea that I would become a Chartered Accountant and join an uncle's firm, and now my father persuaded me that I should start to study for the exams, although goodness knows why when there are so many other exciting things to do. Then my uncle, thinking to save time after the war, contrived to get me articled. I wrote:

'There is no limit to the surprises in life is there? There you are one moment, nothing particularly happening, and the next moment you are an articled clerk. The immediate query round the room was: "how much do you get paid?" That sounded all right until some bright character said it was I who did the paying.'

While at Stalag Luft III, Morison and his friend Lorne Welch ecaped while on a bogus 'delousing party' and attempted to steal an aircraft from a German airfield. they were caught and this earned their transfer  to Oflag I-VC - Colditz.

It is possible that this ecapade is the basis for James Garner's escape attempt in The Great Escape.

While in Colditz, Morison helped with the construction of the glider that was to be used in one of the most dramatic escapes, but the end of the war arrived before it was put to the test.

After being demobilised Morison pursued his wish to become a civilian pilot and his father arranged for him to get an interview with the selection board at BOAC. Unfortunately he met a wall of bureaucracy. The transfer of pilots from the RAF to civil aviation was being handled by the RAF and as he was no longer in the RAF this was a problem. He arranged an interview with the Air Ministry to see if he could get temporarily be readmitted to the RAF. The Civil service 'Penguin' told him there was no such procedure and 

"what makes you think, Mr Morison, that trouble should be taken and public money spent just to serve your personal convenience?"

Perhaps I suggested, after five years a grateful country might just-? But the penguin said no, absolutely NO.

You bastard, I thought, and went away to become an accountant."

Walter Morison was born in Beckenham, Kent on 26 November 1919. He was educated at Stowe and was at Trinity College, Cambridge reading Economics when war broke out and he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

He was articled to his great uncle, H. McDonald Morison of Morison, Rutherford & Co. and became an ICAEW associate in 1948, fellowship following in 1958. He left for Coopers & Lybrand but later returned to the family firm. By 1970 he was partner in three firms, Morison, Rutherford, Osbourne & Co, Morison Stoneham &Co.(senior partner) and Robson Morrow & London Partners, all at 5 Queen Street EC4. In 1981 he retired to Badger's Mount near Sevenoaks and then Bosham in West Sussex, last appearing in the List of Members in 2010.

Morrison Stoneham & Co. was acquired by Tenon in 2000, but the Morison legacy continues to this day with Morison Global, the worldwide professional services firm with branches in over 65 countries.

He died, aged 89, in March 2009.