MORRISON John 1932-1994
John in his Royal Scots Uniform. He was in the Army in 1952 as he wrote the letter below to his brother Podge Morrison
Private J. Morrison,
Signals Platoon,
H.Q. Coy
1st Battalion Royal Scots
B.A.O.R. 2
Hello Podge, here I am in answer to your most welcome letter which I received a few days ago. Am glad to see by it that you are still keeping fine as it found me feeling the same. I see you have been away at Fyfe working for a wee while, did you run out of work or was the money no big enough? I also see you got a tax rebate back, you’re spending wisely enough anyway [radiogram]. Big Tam and I will be up at Wauchope every Sunday for a session. I bet your first disc will be a Bing one eh?
How is cousin Sam getting on, well I hope. How long has he got to do now? Larry should be home tonight [Tuesday] as he left last night, so I expect there will be a big crowd at the ‘corner’ this week. And it won’t be long until Bruno is home too. The last letter I had from Andrew Muirhead he said he would be home sometime in September, so it looks like I’ll miss a bit scoop up this week. But I’m counting the weeks on my ten fingers now so it won’t be long. I hope you’ve got a good bottle in for Hogmanay. We’ll have to get a wee barrel o’ beer in.
Well Podge, everything over here is just the same as usual, and the only daft event is we are doing bags of big parades just now as Larry will tell you. We are on one tomorrow as a farewell parade to the Cook in Charge of food and wine???? But apart from the Parade and a few well schemes everything is just the same.
I will close now Podge as the mate is waiting on writing on [the only pen in the room. So cheerio for now and give the boys my regards. Cheerio for now and write soon. Your brother John. P.S. Don’t get too drunk in charge with the Lorry finger – laff – goodnight
THE SIGNALS PLATOON 1ST BATALLION Royal Scots B.A.O.R. 2 1952
In February 1951 the 1st Battalion moved to West Germany to join The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) as part of Britain’s contribution to NATO. Initially they were stationed in Munster but moved to Wuppertal in December. In May 1952 they moved again, this time to Berlin which remained a city occupied and governed by the wartime Allies, The United States, France, Russia and Great Britain. They remained there until April 1953 when they returned briefly to transit through Top Camp, next to Glencorse, before sailing for Korea. On 26 July1962 HRH The Princess Royal, the Colonel-in-Chief, had opened the Regimental Monument just below The Mound in West Princes Street Gardens.
The Amalgamation Parade of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh, 9 Feb 1949
John Morrison in The Royal Scots looking about 18. Far right
John centre
Cousin Gus Morrison with John, Joe Q and Eddie
He missed out in love at a tender age and this is what scarred him for the rest of his life really. He never married. He enjoyed the bachelor life to the full and enjoyed a dram, or two, or three. Was a great uncle to his many nieces and nephews
Niece Ann MARIE Morrison recalls
“Aye JOHN was defo a proud soldier like his father and forefathers !!! And a Rabbie Burns expert I remember when I wee enthralled when he took the middle of floor and done a Burns recital everybody was waiting to get up every time he paused for breath to do their party piece – always a song but they all had brilliant voice . It would take Ma to tell him to sit down haha I was knee high but always remember absolutely loved it . xx”Priceless memories.
Aye Helen there was a story I’m sure he got thrown off a train he no ticket for Shep and Shep was stinking the train out can’t remember where they were going
Niece Lesley Hood recalls
Uncle John loved an audience. I remember him coming to mum and dad’s and mum going crazy as he kept going to the snooty neighbours house. Mum telling us he once pinched a coat but got caught as the label was hanging out the back. Brilliant.
Niece Josie Quilietti recalls
Hi all the full story unbelievable I asked John to take Pauline who was about 14 at the time to take her to the Waverley put her on the London train cause Tam Devlin was working on it and he was to watch Pauline till she got there. Fk Ah was beside myself no mobile phones then. John had got on the train with Shep drank her pocket money then got flung off drunk at Newcastle. He took 2 Days to Walk home with the wee dug.xx you couldn’t make it up eh. Loved him to bits xxxx On his return he came to see me. When I opened the door John just shouted English Bast. Tapped a few doors for water no one entertained him or Shep
Anyone who knew John knew that he loved Scotland. He especially loved Rabbie Burns and his poetry. John would not be shy in reciting Burns and everyone would shy away, aw naw, he’s drunk again. He would always tell us how his grandad was born in Edinburgh Castle and no-one believed him. Well here it is
He and his brother Jimmy looked after Ma Morrison until her sudden death in 1981. The brothers then moved into their own wee houses in Niddrie Mill. John died on 22nd November 1994 of bilateral pheumonia.
We all miss John very much.
John’s Mother ‘Ma’
I remember uncle Jimmy & John so clearly. Warm memories of me dropping my ice cream in the sand at Portobello beach and him picking it up, licking off all the sand and saving a little girls day!
Thanks for the comment Lisa. Aye John and Jimmy were surely some double Act indeed. But like yourself we share some great memories of times now gone. These were hard times and their lives reflected that.