Ian Morrison

Ian Ernest McLeavy Morrison (1913 – August 12, 1950) was an Australian journalist and war correspondent for "The Times". He was one of the first journalists to be killed in the Korean War.

Early career

Born in Peking in 1913 and educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge, he was the son of war correspondent George Ernest Morrison.

Morrison was an English professor at Sapporo, Japan's Hokkaido Imperial University until 1937, at which point he took the position of secretary to British Ambassador to Japan, Sir Robert Craigie.

econd World War

Morrison covered the Pacific Front of the Second World War, being promoted from a freelance contributor, to a full-time staff correspondent at "The Times". He covered the Battle of Singapore. During a November 1942 air raid as part of the Battle of Buna-Gona, Morrison was mildly injured. In December 1943, he was involved in a plane crash he was injured during an air raid on the Buna front in Papua, and in December 1943 he fractured his vertebrae and suffered head trauma as a result of a plane crash, telegraphing The Times.

Regret involved in airplane accident enroute obtain eyewitness operational full stop hospitalised injuries seriouser than yestertime hope recover soon Dickson Brown newschronicler kindly consented cover next three days thereafter Curthoys sorry disappoint you good story

He didn't return to combat journalism for seven months, and by the following December he had been shot once again, telegraphing The Times.

Left hospital today. Thumb, in which fragments of Dutch bullet are lodged, will take at least a fortnight to heal up, but hope to resume filing about Thursday. Another bullet grazed side without doing any damage.

Morrison also wrote the following books related to the War: Malayan Postscript (London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1942) The War against Japan (London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1943) Grandfather Longlegs, The Life and Gallant Death of Major H.P. Seagrim, G.C.,D.S.O (London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1947)

In 1944 he published a 150-page pamphlet entitled "This War with Japan".

Between the Wars

He continued as a correspondent for the The Times, stationed in Hong Kong. While there he had a love affair with local doctor Han Suyin, a story which was told in the semi-biographical film, "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing". [ [http://www.nst.com.my/Weekly/Travel/article/TTales/20050802114404/Article/index_html Travel Times ] ]

Previously,in 1941 Ian Morrison had married the Czechoslavakian Maria Neubauer in Hong Kong. The couple had met earlier in Shanghai. There were two children, Nicholas and Petra. In 1946, his brother, Colin, married Maria's sister, Steffi.

Korean War

The Korean War broke out in 1950 while Morrison was stationed in the Far East with "The Times". He was re-assigned to cover the war, and published his first article from the front on July 10.

He died on August 12, after he, Colonel M. K. Unni Nayar, and Christopher Buckley drove a jeep towards a destroyed North Korean tank, and struck a landmine en route, killing all three of them. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,706-92969,00.html Ian Morrison and the Korean War - From the Archive - Times Online ] ] Fact|date=June 2007

He and Buckley were buried together at a private mission cemetery in Taegu with other correspondents acting as pallbearers. An American Guard of Honour fired a salute, and the Last Post was sounded.His name is listed in the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents' Club as a member killed in the line of duty.

References