Chelsea Pensioner and last survivor of Raiding Support Regiment turns 103
The last surviving member of the Raiding Support Regiment (RSR), an offshoot of the Special Air Service, has turned 103.
John Morris joined the Royal Artillery in 1939 at the age of 17 and fought as an anti-aircraft gunner in the Battle of Britain.
He went on to take part in the campaign to liberate Italy - specifically the Battle of Monte Cassino - and Yugoslavia.
Speaking in 2023 for Home Front, a biannual magazine published by the Friends of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Mr Morris spoke of his time in the British Army before joining the RSR.
He said: "I was a gun layer and saw through the Blitz in London as part of the Anti-Aircraft Battery.
"During the first week of the war, a German Dornier Do flying boat came over on a reconnaissance mission and I had to lay the gun to fire at it.
"I didn't hit the Dornier, but knocked a kitchen chimney down. I wasn't very popular and we weren’t given any breakfast that morning."
Mr Morris describes himself as "being young and stupid" when he volunteered for the RSR.
The regiment was established in 1943 to assist raiding operations in regions such as Greece, Yugoslavia and Albania as well as several islands in the Aegean Sea.
Speaking of his time with the RSR, Mr Morris said: "During my time on the Adriatic Coast, I got very friendly with 'Blondie' Smith who was in the Long Range Desert Group.
"On the way to pick up the Christmas mail, we had a few jugs of the local spirit - raki - not realising how strong it was.
"We took the wrong turn and realised we were driving through a German-held village.
"Blondie said to me, 'John, it’s Christmas Eve. Fire over their heads, don’t try to kill anybody. Just frighten the life out of them'."
During Operation Floxo in Yugoslavia in 1944, Mr Morris was tasked with teaching female partisans how to use a new radio, adding: "We all slept in a big wooden cabin. I had a partisan girl sleeping next to me – she had a belt covered with hand grenades around her."
Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Thomas Devitt and disbanded in early 1945, RSR's original motto was "Quit you like men, be strong" but was shortened to "Quit you like men".
The motto is from a chapter in the Bible and was chosen to encourage determination, courage and strength in the face of the enemy.
However, some believe the motto read backwards – men like you quit – was directed at the Germans.
Mr Morris stayed in the Armed Forces until 1946, but didn't stray too far from the military as he went on to have a career as a Territorial Army reservist in post-war Britain.
After 38 years living in Australia, Mr Morris now lives at the Royal Hospital Chelsea following a successful campaign in 2021 by military charity Pilgrim Bandits to help make him a Chelsea Pensioner.
The campaign raised enough money to cover his travel expenses from Australia to the UK, plus pay for temporary accommodation to allow him to complete the final stages of his application.
Mr Morris said: "When my health started declining, I decided to join the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
"The charity Pilgrim Bandits were instrumental in getting me a flight to England so I could become a Chelsea Pensioner.
"Here at the Royal Hospital, it’s fantastic. I get more visitors than anybody else.
"Recently, I went on a battlefield tour of Monte Cassino, where I was during the war and visited the cemetery.
"Now, I want to speak with school children and tell them about the Second World War – it’s important that young people know what happened."
Mr Morris celebrated his birthday with a party at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
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