Top secret WW2 message finally revealed as codebreaker, 101, says 'we were in danger'
Bernard Morgan had to keep his joy to himself after discovering World War II in Europe was over
A brave young man from Crewe had one hell of a secret to keep during World War II and it was no ordinary secret but frontline codebreaker Bernard Morgan was no ordinary young man.
He knew the 'German war' was over BEFORE the rest of the world. 'I had a lot of secrets up here,' Bernard said, tapping his head as he told The Mirror about his memories of the war.
Bernard, then 20, was the youngest RAF sergeant to land on D-Day and was known as "Sergeant Morgan, the Airmens' friend". He saw his fair share of terror, positioned close to the front line as the troops moved through Belgium, Holland and Germany.
Referring to the bible he kept in his top right pocket of his jacket, Bernard, now 101, said: 'We all said our prayers every night because we knew we were in danger. Our unit was so near the army.'
Bernard and his unit had advanced through the dead bodies on Gold beach in Normandy on June 6 1944 and had a narrow escape when an RAF Lancaster crash landed just feet away - killing six men.
His crucial role in World War II was to pass on messages to show where the planes were needed to 'fight the enemy'. Bernard explained how, in the run-up to what would be VE Day he was working in the intelligence unit set up in a field near a small village called Schneverdingen in Germany.
A few days before they'd arrived in the village, a 'big pit' had been built by the Germans, with dozens of dead prisoners dumped inside in a bid to hide their war crimes.
Locals told them the Russian prisoners were stood on the edge of the pit and shot, falling dead - or dying - into their prepared grave.
'We'd heard about the concentration camps but to see the results was very upsetting, so near to the end of the war as well,' he said.
But after three months stationed in Germany, he was left "overjoyed" after decoding a very different type of message.
Sitting in the care home where he lives in Crewe, Bernard, carefully holds the two messages he typed up and has spent 80 years looking after - 50 years of that in secret until he was finally free to speak about them in 1995. He reads out both of the treasured messages he decoded, the first from May 4th, 1945, which was: 'SECRET….All hostilities on second army front cease at 0800 hours tomorrow May 5…'
The second message read: 'The German war is now over. At Rheims last night the instrument of surrender was signed which in effect is a surrender of all personnel of the German forces, all equipment, shipping and all machinery in Germany…nothing will be destroyed anywhere.
'The surrender is effective some time tomorrow, this news will not be communicated with anyone outside the service nor to members of the press.' 'I couldn't tell anyone what I did in the war because I'd signed a secrecy document, my parents didn't even know what I did,' says Bernard.
Of his VE Day experience, Bernard recalled how he had to keep the secret from the 300 airmen in his unit. "This message came by morse code via the RAF wireless operators. They gave me the coded message and then the keyboard on the Typex machine, you typed the message out. As I realised what it said; I thought 'this could be the last one I'm doing'. We knew that was the end of war in Europe.
'It was only the cipher staff allowed in the office and we always had dinner together because we were not allowed to talk to anyone else. It told us the war in Germany would finish and nobody was to be advised. Two days later the telegram said the war was over...I was overjoyed to see that one." That's when the party started.
'There was plenty of drink but I didn't drink because I was a very keen athlete. But it was wonderful watching them all party. They were all quite merry, singing along. Lili Marlene. It was a German (love) song that the army captured.' Bernard breaks into song, explaining how he sings it at choir practice at his care home, to the 'younger' residents.
Going back to his VE Day memory, he added: 'It was a great atmosphere. Some of the lads went to the forest and shot a deer and carried it back in traditional style with a pole over the shoulder and the deer hanging down.
'By chance the sergeant in charge of the cooking was a butcher in civvy street. Plenty of beer came from the airmen's and officers' mess.
'We had a big party, they chopped down trees from the local wood and had a giant bonfire. There was a lot of singing.'
In the days following the incredible news, Bernard's diary shows how his life transformed.
He notes how instead of decoding urgent messages he: 'Won a three mile cross country race, Scored a goal in a 4-3 win against the army party in the officers mess, played softball.
It was one of 12 football games he'd played during the war, including one on the landing craft on the way to Normandy, which was a draw.
His football boots were always strapped to his kit bag.
Before joining the forces Bernard used to be a clerical officer in Crewe for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which involved a lot of typing.
But on his 18th birthday he signed up and after basic training spotted an advert titled 'Code and cipher staff required - immediate overseas posting.'
On his way across the channel, the troops were given a French phrase book, the only clue as to their destination and the horror that awaited them.
As the youngest RAF sergeant to land at D-Day, Bernard was given the jobs 'nobody else wanted' like manning the Bren gun on the landing craft before they arrived on Gold beach on D-Day.
Having traversed the bodies and hellish scenes on Gold Beach, Bernard, was left behind a Bren gun at a three-road junction where he admitted to being 'frightened to death'.
Tragically he lost three young wireless operators in Normandy. He never forgets their sacrifice and still visits their graves whenever he is able.
'They were the lads bringing me the messages," he says: "One of them was 19 and two were 20.' He tears up as he recalls the men he'd always address by their first names.
After the Germans surrendered his unit was disbanded and returned back to England but it would be another 12 months before his war was over. He was given tropical kit and sent to join HMS Corfu, heading for Japan.
But the Japanese surrendered before they made it there and instead he spent 12 months in India, where he contracted diphtheria and had to fight for his life in a Delhi hospital for three months.
His weight dropped to just seven stone, but he kept his illness a secret from his mum as he was an only child. as he didn't want to worry them.
'She said 'you must be poorly, your letters are stamped at the British Military Hospital in Delhi'.
"If she knew I'd got diphtheria my mother would have had a heart attack so I wrote back and told a white lie and told her I was doing the typing, " he said.
'Strangely enough when I got better they had me doing all their typing for the hospital!
"When I got home I told her. She broke down in tears to think I'd been so ill."
After his war was finished the talented sportsman, a cross-country running champion, missed out by seconds on qualifying for the 1,500m run in the 1948 London Olympics, losing to comedian Bobby Davro's father Bill Nankeville.
Bernard worked on the railways and was a turnstile operator for local footie team Crewe Alexandra for 57 years. His 51-year marriage ended with his wife's death and he has one daughter, Sheila.
'The ones who won the war are the ones who gave their lives, they are the ones we have to thank really. I'd also like to thank the Royal British Legion for the care and attention they have given to all troops and civilians for many years. They have looked after me throughout my air force career and beyond.'
During his return to mark D-Day last year a great grandchild, Albie arrived and his family snapped our Mirror front page in his cot to mark the occasion and pay tribute to his brave great grandad.
VE Day: 80th Anniversary Magazine Specials
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we bring you two special special collector's magazines that look back at events that led to the end of World War II in Europe and marked a new era.
In the VE Day 80: Anniversary Collector's Edition we share photographs from the street parties that were held all over Britain, while esteemed author and journalist Paul Routledge paints a picture of how the day was bittersweet, mixed with jubilation and hope for the future, as well as sadness and regret for the past. Routledge also recounts the key events of the Second World War, including Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and Pearl Harbour. The magazine costs £9.99.
Also available is World War Two - A History in 50 Photographs, a definitive pictorial account of the war. Carefully chosen from hundreds of thousands of images, this commemorative magazine shares 50 exceptional photographs - including many rarely seen shots - that capture the devastating moments, horror, hope and eventual triumph of World War Two. The magazine costs £6.99.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
10 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Former Rhyl printer recalls 1945 VE Day street party
This was in Holland Park Drive in Rhyl. George Owen was just aged five at the time. The photo was taken by Bernard Bestwick who lived on the corner of Donald Avenue and ran a Chromium Silver Plating business on Vale Road. He also had an amusement arcade called Joyland in Queen Street near the Victory Club. George, who was born in Rhyl and worked as a printer at the old Journal Offices in Russell Road, said: "I was five years old and I am shown circled alongside my sister Diana who was two years old. My mum Margaret Owen was standing behind us and my late elder brother Gordon is shown on the left. At that time we lived nearby at 53 Rhuddlan Road. My sister and I are still in good health. George is shown circled alongside his sister Diana who was two-years-old and his mum Margaret Owen (Image: Bernard Bestwick / Shared by George Owen) "Sadly Bernard Bestwick's son was killed in action during the D Day landings. His details are on the Rhyl War Memorial. "Rank, Name and Service Number: Corporal Bestwick, Bernard Francis 4201568; Service: Royal Hussars Royal Armoured Corps (H.Q. Sqn. 13th/18th) Died: June 10 1944, Age: 28. "He was the husband of Dorothy Bestwick shown at the front of the photo sitting on the left with a child on her knee. "The lady on the extreme right, beneath the flag, was Queenie Westbury who, with her husband Percy Westbury, ran the Gem Grocery Stores (now a house) on Rhuddlan Road, where we were all registered with our ration books [George still has his]. George Owen (Image: Submitted by George Owen) "The area in the photo behind Holland Park Drive was all fields but is now all built up." George made mention that in the VE Day street party photo it is mainly women and children in attendance. "I assume they [the men] had either not returned from the forces, were at work or were celebrating in the pub," he said. "I mentioned that during the war my family lived at 53 Rhuddlan Road. One memory I have is of me playing in the front garden and men arrived and took away our metal iron gate. "I ran into the house but dad said it was for the war effort as they were short of material make bombs. "Ironically, it was revealed much later that this was just morale-boosting as the metal was dumped the sea later because it was not suitable." George now lives in Clapham, London, with his partner Angela. He said: 'I visit Rhyl fairly regularly to see family and friends and though the old place has its problems, like anywhere else, I still get a fix from a bracing walk on the prom and a pint in the Swan." George is hoping that Journal readers will be able to identify other people in pictured in the photo.
ITV News
11 hours ago
- ITV News
Battle of Arnhem veteran from Peterborough made MBE days before 100th birthday
A veteran who fought in the Battle of Arnhem has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours, just weeks before his 100th birthday. Geoffrey Roberts, from Peterborough, is being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem and to charity. Mr Roberts' daughter, Claire Welburn, said her father had been surprised when he found out about the news. 'His first words actually were, 'I'm not very happy about that',' she said. 'It's taken him a while to come to terms with it, because he always says, 'I didn't do anything'. 'I keep saying to him, 'it's not about what you did in the war, Dad, it's about what you've done since, it's about your act of remembrance'.' She added: 'He always says, 'the heroes are the ones lying in the cemetery', and he's just one of the lucky ones.' Ms Welburn said she was 'immensely proud' of her father, who she described as having been committed to 'keeping the story [of the Battle of Arnhem] alive'. She said they had been trying to keep the honour a secret from friends until Mr Roberts' 100th birthday on 28 June. Mr Roberts, who was born in the Chelsea Barracks in London in 1925, signed up in 1942. On 17 September 1944, he flew into the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden – depicted in the 1977 Hollywood film A Bridge Too Far – which saw 35,000 British, American and Polish troops parachute or glide behind German lines. While the operation succeeded in capturing the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen, it failed in its key objective – securing the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem. A defensive battle was fought until the order to withdraw was given on 25 September. More than 8,000 British soldiers were killed, missing or captured in the offensive. Mr Roberts was captured on 26 September, with a German officer giving him some cigarettes and telling him, 'for you, the war is over'. He was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp and put to work in a coal mine until the end of the war. In May 1945, Russian troops came to release the soldiers from the camp, telling them to wait for the Allies to come. After a week of waiting, Mr Roberts and two other soldiers decided they had had enough. Ms Welburn said: 'My dad always tells the story that he and two friends 'liberated' some German officers' bicycles, and the three of them cycled to try and get back to the UK as quickly as they could. 'They got to a junction and the three of them had a discussion about which was the right way. 'One soldier went one way, and dad and his friend went the other, and they never saw the other soldier again.' Ms Welburn said her father goes back to the Netherlands to pay his respects every year. 'Every time he goes back, it's very emotional, every year we always go to Oosterbeek Commonwealth War Cemetery,' she said. 'He goes straight to his two friends Plummer and Brown, who died during the battle.' She said her father wanted to praise the Taxi Charity, which has been instrumental in helping him go back each year and 'help keep dad's story alive'.
Press and Journal
13 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Turriff's Jim Glennie, 99-year-old D-Day hero and Gordon Highlanders legend, awarded BEM
Jim Glennie was one of the first Gordon Highlanders to set foot on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day in 1944. And now, at the age of 99, the Turriff loon, who landed in Normandy more than 80 years ago, has been awarded a BEM in the King's Honours list. Mr Glennie, who volunteered at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen well into his 90s, is the regiment's last surviving member from the Second World War. He and his colleagues had no idea what was waiting for them when they arrived in France, but displayed great courage to help liberate France from the Nazis. As he once recalled with typical understatement: 'You were scared within yourself, but you didn't show it. You didn't know what was going to happen – it was very dodgy.' Major Grenville Irvine-Fortescue MBE, the chairman of the Gordon Highlanders Association, paid a warm tribute to his long-term friend. He said: ''The very special award of a BEM to our D-Day veteran, Jim Glennie, is a wonderful recognition of his devotion and service. 'Apart from his war service with 5th/7th Gordons, he has been a stalwart volunteer for the Gordon Highlanders Museum, a very proud standard bearer for the Royal British Legion and equally proud member of the Aberdeen Branch of the Association. 'I know my Gordon Highlander colleagues and so many others with whom he has worked will be delighted for him and I know he will be immensely proud of receiving this great honour in recognition of his achievements.' Mr Glennie and his colleagues made progress after landing in Normandy, but he and his company were ambushed by Germans while making their way towards Caen. Several were killed or wounded, but the rest managed to take temporary cover in a roadside trench as German Panzer armoured vehicles approached. He said: 'The tank came past and it was just spraying us, but we managed to keep our heads down. 'I remember thinking, 'I don't like this' and I jumped out and ran up the road to try and get them when they came round a bend. 'So I'm standing there, firing my gun and, all of a sudden, I felt shots hit me in my right arm and the gun just dropped out of my hand.' It was the end of his war. After recovering in hospital, Jim was transferred along with hundreds of other POWs to Stalag IV-B in Germany. His first day in the camp was his 19th birthday. Mr Glennie met a former German soldier, Karl Hunnold, at the museum in 2017 and the two men, who had previously been on opposite sides, embraced each other warmly. He said at the time: 'Although we can't speak to each other directly because of the language barrier, we can both understand each other because of what we've been through.' And Mr Hunnold responded: 'I hold the Gordon Highlanders in very high regard in my memory, they treated me very well. 'And I am proud to consider Jim as a friend.' John McLeish, chief executive of the museum, told the Press & Journal: 'Jim's military service is well-documented. Less well known is that this year sees him complete 30 years of volunteering at The Gordon Highlanders Museum. 'This is quite remarkable and the early days saw Jim undertake a wide range of duties to get things ready for us opening. 'Fast forward to today and we are very fortunate to see Jim volunteering as a member of the Tuesday team, week in, week out. 'While exceptionally humble and down to earth, Jim is willing to talk to all visitors – young and old – about his experiences. 'Jim is admired and respected by all his colleagues. Put simply, he is our hero.'
