Journal - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

obituaries
Morrison could have been considered
to be ahead of his time in that he
served throughout the Royal Regiment
of Scotland with The Black Watch and
The Highlanders, as well as his parent
Battalion prior to the formation of the
Regiment. He served in almost every
theatre in which the British Army
has a presence during his long and
rich career; including Belize, Canada,
Poland, Cyprus, Germany. In addition
he saw operational service in Northern
Ireland, The Gulf, Bosnia, Kosovo and
most recently in Iraq.
Having served his early years in UK, in
1991 Colour Sergeant Morrison deployed
to the Gulf to take part in Operation
Granby. Shortly afterwards, in 1994 he
was posted to Fallingbostel with the
Royal Highland Fusiliers. On 9 March
1996 he married Eva who supported him
loyally throughout his remaining career.
When the regiment conducted an arms
plot move in 2000, his Armoured Infantry
expertise was in such demand that he
stayed on with the 1st Battalion The
Black Watch. Following a short posting
to Cyprus, he returned to Fallingbostel in
2005 to join B Company, The Highlanders
(later 4 SCOTS) as Technical Company
Quarter Master Sergeant. He was
responsible for the management of the
Company’s fleet of Warriors, including an
operational tour to Maysaan Province in
Iraq with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Battlegroup, for Operation Telic 7. It was
during this gruelling 6 month operational
tour that he earned an outstanding
reputation for vehicle availability
despite the tremendous heat and harsh
operating conditions.
In April 2007 Colour Sergeant
Morrison moved back to Inverness with
his wife Eva and three children Sarah,
Jason and Cameron, where they planned
to start a new life on his retirement.
Colour Sergeant Morrison was a great
personality, who was always ready with
friendly banter and a wry smile. He was
tremendously loyal regimental character,
wherever he served. Throughout
his service he displayed selfless
commitment and dedication which
make him a great example for others.
He will be sadly missed by his family, all
those who knew him and had the good
fortune to work with him.
561716 Captain John McDermid
Captain John McDermid, was born in
Glasgow in 1964. He joined 1st Battalion
The Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1983 serving
21 years as a soldier and three years as
an officer. In a distinguished career he
served in Berlin, Canada, Kenya, Cyprus and
Belize, conducting two tours in Bosnia as
part of the UNPROFOR mission and one in
Kosovo as part of the NATO deployment.
He completed four Northern Ireland tours
and a further tour in Iraq cemented his
standing as a hugely experienced, skilled,
knowledgeable and capable soldier.
His quality was identified early on
and he rose quickly through the ranks.
As a first-rate Senior Non-Commissioned
Officer, he was selected to instruct officers
at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,
where he excelled. On return to the
Battalion he served as Company Quarter
Master Sergeant, Company Sergeant
Major and Regimental Quarter Master
Sergeant before promotion to Warrant
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