John Morrison, 86, from Newton Aycliffe near Darlington was a Wireless Operator/ Air Gunner during the Second World War. He completed 11 missions on Whitley bombers before volunteering to fly the Halifax at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York. He flew 13 missions with number 35 Squadron at Linton. The last three were against the Tirpitz which had been secreted in a Norwegian Fjord. The target was outside the Halifax’s range, so his Squadron flew stripped down versions to reduce weight and increase distance. The first of Mr Morrison’s Tirpitz raids was abandoned due to bad weather. On the second his crew reached the target and released their bombs, but without success. On the third mission his aircraft was shot down. He spent the rest of the war a prisoner.

Mr Morrison says the missions were hazardous. He said: "We flew from Linton to Kinloss in Scotland and then onto Norway at 4000 feet before descending to 400 feet over our final fix-point at Saltoya Island. "The Tirpitz had been photographed by the Norwegian Resistance so we knew where it was, but to have any chance of success we needed to fly at 150 feet above the water. "Those missions were flown in darkness with just moonlight to guide us. It was dangerous enough on a clear night, so a weather forecast was crucial. Afterwards, all that was left was to pray to God."

The German’s knew what to expect after the first raid. The Tirpitz had originally been moored length ways but it was swung round to make the target area smaller. Also the Fjord was filled with smoke, making it almost impossible to see.

"We navigated entirely by map reading," added Mr Morrison. "By making Saltoya Island at a known time we were able to find our way to the target. On the second run we released four bombs.

"The idea was to drop them onto the side of the Fjord where they would roll into the water, descend and then rise again to explode at 30 feet - hopefully under the hull."

But raid three was his 13th Halifax mission and it lived up to its unlucky reputation.

"It seemed every gun in Norway was directed at us; we were a sitting target and were shot down even before we reached the Tirpitz. The aircraft was a fireball. It banked and then headed for a frozen lake. We skidded across it into some trees.

"A farming family rescued us and I remember two little girls helped remove our flying helmets which they later hid in a wood.

"To me they were true war heroes. How they kept that night’s events a secret is incredible. The temptation to tell their friends must have been overwhelming, but they told nobody and that gave us the chance to escape."

The phone rang when the airmen were inside the farmhouse. It was German guards demanding to know if the family had seen the crash. ‘No’ they were told, so they set off to search the other side of the lake, to be informed that the ice was too thin to cross back, so had to drive the long way round.

"That gave us a head start. The family gave my navigator, Reg Williams, and me a coat each and we headed off for Sweden. But the terrain was mountainous and the snow three feet deep. We sheltered by day and travelled by night.

"We were within 3km of the border when we decided to rest up. Unfortunately we heard some workmen who had spotted our footprints, and within a quarter of an hour they returned with German Guards. It sounds like a music Hall joke, but they really did say ‘For you the war is over.’

In 2000 as part of the Government’s Heroes Return project, Mr Morrison returned to Norway to search for the spot on which his aircraft had crashed.

"I knocked on a door and the lady who answered knew the story. I was taken to the farm where we crashed and met by Torbjorn Hellan - the grandson of the girl who cared for us. He said, ‘come with me I’ve got something for you.’ We went into his barn and there on the wall was my helmet.

"The girls had recovered it from the wood and Torbjorn’s family had kept it in the hope that one day I would return to collect it."

"Ever since the crash I have worried about what happened to that family and it seems they in turn had been concerned as to my fate. Meeting them was like completing the circle; an end to the story."

During his time as a prisoner of War, Mr Morrison was incarcerated in Stalag Luft 3 - of Great Escape fame, and Stalag Luft 6, which due to the number of Yorkshire in-mates had its own White Rose Club, For some time, Mr Morrison has been trying to get back in touch with two of his best friends there - Jake Ryder of Batley and Jack Waterworth of Doncaster.

Members there penned stories from the camp which were smuggled to Britain. Many were complied and printed by the Yorkshire Post under the name ‘Kregie’ (prisoner) edition. Mr Morrison was able to see a copy at Linton-on-Ouse during his visit.

Source: Royal air Force UK
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