Edward Morton (Eddie) was born in Spenborough at Oakenshaw and educated at Woodlands Infants School, Oakenshaw Junior School, and South Parade Secondary Modern School in Cleckheaton.
His career started with British Railways, as it was then, at the Mirfield Motive Power Depot, and he would possibly have spent his whole working life on the railways had it not been for the reorganisation of the network by Dr Beeching.
Eddie took the opportunity to join the Royal Navy in 1961 and undertook training at HMS RALEIGH at Torpoint, Devon. With training finished, at that time, the Royal Navy had a "task force" in the Persian Gulf, deterring Iraq from invading Kuwait, and Eddie was drafted to join the aircraft carrier HMS VICTORIOUS, taking part in what proved to be a successful operation.
Exercises in the Far East followed, and it was during this time that he requested to be transferred to the Submarine Service. The transfer request subsequently came through, and basic training for "Boats" followed at HMS DOLPHIN.
On completion of training, Eddie was drafted to HMS/M ORPHEUS, part of the 3rd Submarine Squadron, which was running out of Gareloch on the Clyde. At that time, the Faslane base only consisted of the depot ship HMS Maidstone and a fenced-off compound.
Leaving HMS ORPHEUS to refit at Devonport Dockyard in 1964, he was drafted to the 7th Submarine Division in Singapore and joined HMS/M AMPHION. This was an "A" class boat built for war in the Pacific but completed too late to see any action.
This was the time of the "Indonesian Confrontation," a three-year war with Indonesia, which took exception to the Malaysian alliance. Most of the fighting took place in Borneo and Sarawak. HMS AMPHION took a lead role when the torpedo racks were adapted to take the canoes of the Special Boat Service personnel. The crew worked closely by landing them behind enemy lines to carry out reconnaissance and clandestine operations.
Returning home in 1966, Eddie rejoined the 3rd Squadron in Faslane, which by this time was a large naval base built specifically to service the UK's first naval nuclear deterrent, Polaris.
On returning to Faslane in 1966, he was sent down to Devonport to join HMS/M OTTER, which had just completed refit, and returned with it to join the 3rd Squadron. He remained on the Otter until he was discharged from the service in 1970.
Eddie's career then took another interesting path when he joined the West Riding County Fire Service.
Starting as a fireman based at Morley and Cleckheaton stations, opportunities followed in 1974 with the reorganisation of the counties into the West Yorkshire Fire Service. Promoted to Leading Fireman at Huddersfield and then to Sub-Officer at Dewsbury, he stayed there for four years before being promoted to Station Officer and transferred to Idle Station in Bradford.
Further promotion followed in 1980 to Assistant Divisional Officer, returning to Huddersfield as Officer in Charge, and then to Divisional Officer at Wakefield, Halifax, Huddersfield, and Bradford.
Retiring in 1998, with the exception of two years spent as Commandant of the International Training School, his entire Fire Service career was spent in operations.
Eddie became Poppy Appeal Organiser in 1998 following the sudden death of the former organiser and branch president, David Sharp. Appointed Branch Vice-Chairman to John Walker in 2005 and Chairman in 2009, he has overseen the dramatic increase in Spenborough's Poppy Appeal and a continuing upward trend in both joining and active membership.
April 2012
