From postman to war hero – the Newton Aycliffe connection to The Great Escape

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An exhibition opening next week will feature a County Durham connection to one of the most epic stories to emerge from the Second World War – The Great Escape. PETER BARRON reports

WHEN historian Geoff Hill stages an exhibition about The Great Escape at an RAF base next week, it will shine the spotlight on the remarkable story of a former postman who found love during the Second World War and settled in County Durham.

John Morrison, who became a resident of Newton Aycliffe, was among the prisoners of war who played their part in helping 76 men escape from the notorious Stalag Luft III concentration camp in Poland.

The former wireless operator and gunner had been captured after his Halifax bomber crashed in a fjord in Norway, while targeting the German battleship Tirpitz, known as “The Beast”.

“John may not have been one of those to escape, but he helped dig the tunnels during one of the most remarkable stories of the war,” says Geoff, who continues to build up an impressive collection of rare wartime memorabilia.


“John's story is another reminder of the survival instincts, and incredible fortitude, of those who fought against the Nazis.”

Geoff is chair of the Middleton St George Memorial Association, which is primarily dedicated to honouring the memory of those who served at RAF Middleton St George, a former Bomber Command Station, which became the site of Teesside International Airport.


His latest project is to stage a week-long exhibition for serving personnel at RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, featuring memorabilia commemorating The Great Escape, and John's story will be included.

John was originally from Aberdeen and, when he left school at 14 in 1935, he got a job as a telegram boy, delivering Post Office messages on his bike.

He was promoted to postman in 1940 and, despite it being an exempted occupation, he volunteered to join the RAF, and was selected for training as a wireless operator and air gunner.


John spent a few months at RAF Middleton St George and, during a night out in nearby Darlington, met his future wife, Margery, who lived at the corner of Bates Avenue.

He went on to fly in operations in Whitley and Halifax bombers and, on April 28, 1942, he was serving with 35 Squadron as part of a crew that took off from RAF Kinloss on a night-time mission to sink the Tirpitz. He later described it as “going into the entrance to hell” as the Halifax flew at 150 feet into a barrage of shells and tracers.

With the plane on fire, pilot Johnny Roe tried to head for Sweden, but the stricken plane crash-landed on a frozen lake and skated into a small wood. The second wireless operator, Sgt Rusty Russell, was killed but the other six crewmen survived.

John woke with deep cuts and helped Navigator, Reg Williams, rescue badly injured Flight Engineer, Denis Butchart, from the flames.

Butchart had to be left behind, but the others split up and, with the help of a Norwegian family who gave them food and bandaged their wounds, John and Reg walked through snowdrifts in a bid to reach the Swedish border. They were captured by German soldiers just 10 kilometres short of safety.

After interrogation, they ended up at Stalag Luft 3, scene of what became known as The Great Escape, the mass breakout of POWs that inspired the 1963 Hollywood film, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough.

John was among those who secretly dug three tunnels under the Germans’ noses. The tunnels were codenamed Tom, Dick and Harry, with 76 men escaping on March 25, 1944, before the 77th escapee was spotted and the alert sounded.

All but three – Norwegian pilots Per Bergsland and Jens Muller, and Dutch pilot Bram van der Stok – were recaptured, and 50 were executed under Hitler’s orders.

As the end of January 1945 drew near, with Russian forces advancing to within less than 20 kilometers of Stalag Luft III, John was among the prisoners forced to take part in what became known as “The Long March” into Germany.

During the march, allied prisoners were mistakenly targeted by British Typhoons, and John was among those who used their tunics to spell out POWs on the grass to prevent more friendly fire.

After the war, John and Margery lived in Newton Aycliffe, and he worked for the Board of Trade, helping to establish new businesses.

The couple had a daughter, who still lives in Newton Aycliffe. Now Lynn Defty, she has written a book, Special Delivery: From Telegraph Boy To Bomber Boy, in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund.

In 2000, John and Lynn returned to Norway and found the farmhouse where he'd been nursed and given sandwiches after the crash.

When they knocked on the door, the family’s grandson came to the door and said: “I know who you are.” He went into the barn, where he produced John’s flying helmet, adding: “This belongs to you.”

Both John and Margery have passed away – John dying in 2012, aged 91. They have two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Geoff was staging a World War Two exhibition in Stockton, in 1970, when John introduced himself and told the historian his story. They became friends, with Geoff attending John’s 80th and 90th birthday parties.

The RAF Leeming exhibition, starting on February 20, will feature John’s dog tag and escape tin. The tins were given to all airmen to help them in the event of a crash, and John’s contains the silk escape map that he used to try to find his way to Sweden.

Other memorabilia on show in the officers' mess includes John’s POW tie, air crew whistle, and historic photographs. Compasses that were hidden in smoking pipes, shaving brushes, and the soles of shoes, also form part of the display.

“It's been a privilege to remember The Great Escape, bringing one of the most memorable episodes of the war to life,” says Geoff.

“The fact that there is also a strong local connection makes it all the more rewarding – what a life John Morrison lived!"