Hon Member of Bangor Rotary Morrell Murphy served during World War II with the Royal Navy, seeing action in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. As a young sailor aboard HMS Exeter at the start of the war, he was part of the first naval battle of WW2 with the German battleship Graf Spee in the southern Atlantic—a story immortalised in the film – The Battle of the River Plate.
During his service, Morrell spent years on active duty hunting U-boats and supporting troop landings on D Day and other landings in Europe. On Boxing Day 1944, HMS Capel was tragically sunk by a U-boat in the English Channel, with significant loss of life.
Morrell was officially declared lost at sea; his family even received a telegram from the King confirming his death. But, to their surprise and joy, Morrell returned home weeks later, having been rescued by a U.S. patrol boat and taken to a military hospital in northern France.
We will miss Morrell’s cheerful presence at our meetings and events.
Bill Aiken, President