GEORGE M. HARRISON (1936 – 1939) died in January 2010, aged 86. He served throughout the war, firstly in the Merchant Navy but he then transferred to the Royal Navy, serving in the Mediterranean and in the Far East. After the war, he moved into advertising, becoming, firstly, advertising manager of the British Travel Association and finally, in 1970, of Arthur Guinness, based in Park Royal.
George was fond of stories about his war time experiences, many of which were related in his letters, which were quoted in the OP magazine. In 1941 he was involved in picking up survivors from HMAS Parramatta, which had been torpedoed. Over many years he had kept contact with a few Australians and in 2006, under the ‘Heroes Return’ scheme, had visited two in Australia. “It was amazing, meeting these guys more than 64 years later.”
In 1945, when serving in Columbo, Sri Lanka, he met a Wren, Rosemary. They married in 1948 and had three children. In 2008 they celebrated their diamond wedding with a telegram from the Queen. He sent a photo (shown in the 2009 magazine) with a bottle of champagne.
George was a ‘larger than life’ character, who relished social occasions. Instead of a funeral, invitations were sent to friends and relatives to gather and celebrate his life.