GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY M.M. London Gazette 24 January 1946. The original recommendation states:
‘Sergeant Morrall has served throughout the campaign in North-West Europe as a Troop Sergeant and has done outstanding and gallant service. Steady and resourceful in Troop administration, for which he has been responsible, he has in addition given an example of cheerfulness, gallantry and steadfast leadership under fire which has been an inspiration to all.
At Wetteren on 6 September 1944, his troop bore the brunt of an attack by heavy enemy forces on a bridge which the Squadron was defending. He carried up ammunition and rallied a section disorganised by the enemy, himself leading it with a Bren gun and throughout contributed more than any other individual to the successful repulse of the attack with comparatively very heavy casualties to the enemy.
At Gebroek on 12 January 1945, he led the sapper party laying a scissors bridge in the preliminary phase of the attack on Bakenhoven. The next night an attempt was made to bull dose a crossing nearer to Bakenhoven but the party was prevented by enemy S.A. and artillery fire. The danger of this had not passed, and made silent work essential when Sergeant Morrall later led out a small party. He worked up to his waist in icy water for as long as this could be endured and almost completed the crossing, constantly directing relays of men.
On 16 April 1945, his troop was in support of 8th Hussars in the vigorous advance to Doremark, by passing Fallingbostel. This involved many minor sapper tasks and an exposed centre line through country still occupied by bands of enemy troops. Twice during the night Sergeant Morrall made this journey in his jeep, once with rations and at first light to take up an assault bridge. On each occasion enemy troops were encountered. Once, when engaged by a party of five men with small arm s, he, the driver, and one other sapper returned their fire and killed two.
This N.C.O. stands out from all others in the Squadron for sound judgement, skill in the many sapper tasks with which he has been concerned and steadiness under fire. He is held in respect and affection alike by officers and men.’
B.E.M. London Gazette 1 January 1966.
Eric Aylmore “Mush” Morrall was born in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, in February 1920, where he was working as an apprentice fitter on the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939. Enlisting in the Royal Engineers in the following month, he was posted to a training unit at Napier Barracks, Shorncliffe and thence, in early 1940, to Chatham, where he joined I Troop, 4th Field Squadron, R.E., before long to be nicknamed “The Shiny Fourth” on account of the number of decorations won by its personnel.
North Africa and Italy
And it was in this capacity that he was embarked for the Middle East in October of the same year, where he was quickly advanced to Lance-Corporal and joined the 7th Armoured Division. Going into action in Libya in early 1941. And, as verified by accompanying documentation, he served behind enemy lines in “Jock Campbell Columns” in addition to other daring reconnaissance work and membership of “Duke Force”, a fast and mobile sapper unit that went into action with forward tank units, destroying captured enemy guns and armour; so, too, making safe countless mines.
Whether engaged at Sidi Rezegh or El Alamein, or in the final advance on Tunis - where ‘I was hit in the neck by a sniper’s bullet’ - Morrall was indeed the ‘big tough forceful personality’ described by Captain Robert Warren. M.C., and, as described below, won his first “mention” for evading capture early in the campaign:
‘Whilst operating in No-Man’s Land, between the 8th Army at El Agheila and the enemy at Marble Arch in April 1941, our section leader, Corporal Bill Noyce, was attacked and wounded by a German patrol, losing his right arm and being taken prisoner with his armoured car driver.
With my half section of five Sappers in our 15 cwt. truck, we made for the sand dunes and there we hid from the enemy during daylight. Later, that night, I blew up and destroyed the vital water well, as per my instructions, then with the cover of darkness and the aid of the stars for navigation, we eventually reached our own lines. There we were told to head for Fort Mechili, where we could rejoin our unit, the 4th Field Squadron, after some 200 miles of open desert to the north-east.
At Mechili, we found remnants of our unit with our H.Q. in a mass of disarray with other units, only to be informed that the Senior Officer has surrendered to the enemy. Then to our delight we heard over the radio that the Port of Tobruk, about 80 miles to the north east, was now under siege and holding out.
This time several dozen vehicles, of all types, mostly from the 4th, joined in the dash for Tobruk. Many were hit by enemy tank and small arms fire and didn't make it. A few Sappers - this was our second escape in just over a week - made it. But on reaching Tobruk we soon found out we were not on holiday ... I understand that an officer of the unit who was taken P.O.W. during this adventure submitted a report for my mention in despatches on being released from captivity.’
“The Shiny Fourth” next went into action in the Italian campaign, landing at Salerno in September 1943, and took part in the capture of Naples in addition to carrying out valuable Bailey bridge work over the river Volturno. The, on reaching the river Garigliano, the unit was withdrawn to the U.K., arriving in Scotland in early 1944.
North-West Europe
By now a Troop Sergeant, Morrall landed in Normandy in June 1944, the commencement of another chapter of heavy fighting, the salient points of which are cited in the above recommendation - though his own extensive account of the action at Wetteren, which appears in Desert Rats at War, by George Forty, is a particularly good one; so, too, his account of how he re-visited Wetteren in the 1970s, the first of many annual pilgrimages.
But returning to his time in North-West Europe, and by way of illustrating the multitude of sources available, the following extract from the memoirs of an officer of “The Shiny Fourth” is not without interest:
‘Whilst we were in Hademarschen, another incident occurred that further cultivated our dislike for Germans. There had been some sort of concentration camp nearby and in a shed in the village we found the bodies of a few Russians who had died in this camp. I suppose there were only seven or eight here, one of them being a woman, but their bodies were shrunken through famine and I believe had onlu just died - or possibly been exterminated.
One of the Sappers found them and a quite spontaneous anger arose. A few of the N.C.Os got together and with the O.C’s permission, they made all the inhabitants of the village turn out and see for themselves the horrors that their kinsmen had done. All the people were made to pass slowly in front of the bodies and Corporal Milligan, who could speak fluent German, told them that this was just a sample of the savagery and horror that the German nation had caused. The truth slowly dawned on these simple country folk and they were truly disturbed - but many of them must have known what had been going on. We also brought several German officers who were in the town to view the bodies - one of them had his mistress with him, but she never moved a muscle or showed any sign of remorse.
Sergeant Morrall made these officers line up afterwards and salute the Ensign which flew outside Squadron H.Q. - kicking one particularly stubborn German until he saluted. No doubt this was strictly against the rules of the Geneva Convention, but as officers we looked the other way. We had the civilians provide a proper burial for the Russians and ordered the whole village to attend the funeral.’
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