King Edward’s School and the Great War

Memorial Roll of Honour 1914 - 1918

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Morrison, Eric Simpson

Flight-Lieutenant ▪ Royal Air Force

Eric Simpson Morrison, born in Scotland on 23rd July 1891, was admitted to King Edward’s School in September 1903. At the time of the 1911 Census, Eric was living with his stepmother, Emily, who had remarried, and with his sister, Gladys, at ‘Maes-y-Garnedd’, Packwood, Dorridge.

At School, Eric was a solid academic with an interest in science, taking part in voluntary classes such as practical chemistry. After School, Eric worked as a bank clerk in Birmingham, and at some point thereafter, he emigrated to Canada working as a mechanic for a motor company in Toronto. On 7th July 1916, he married Marjorie in Winnipeg.

In January 1917, Eric enlisted as a Private Soldier in the Canadian Infantry, serving in France and reaching the rank of Sergeant. His service papers reveal that his knowledge of internal combustion engines was considered noteworthy, as was his expertise on photography. He was wounded and gassed while serving as a despatch rider at the Battle of Passchendaele, and after a period of convalescence, gained a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps, and later as a Flight-Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. He was killed flying over France on 1st July 1918, leaving his widow, Marjorie, and a baby boy living in Canada. He is buried in Huby-St. Leu British Cemetery, France, and the inscription on his headstone reads: “He Died That We Might Live.”