Breaking Tradition

This baptismal record reads,

The baptismal record, found only recently, confirms that Douglas was adopted by and raised as the son of Capt Arthur Wellesley Morrell, RN. Douglas's birth parents remain unknown, but are presumed to be of close family relation to the Morrells.

Douglas broke family tradition and did not join the Royal Navy, instead attending Faraday House Electrical Engineering College in London, after leaving Dauntsey's school in Wiltshire. At Faraday, Douglas received his Bachelor's Degree in Science (Engineering), and received a Gold Medal as well as a Diploma with Honours. Following his graduation, he joined Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co., in 1938. 

With Marconi, Douglas's job was to install radio direction-finding (RDF) equipment around Britain and at overseas stations, during World War II. One such trip, to install RDF equipment overseas, took him to Jamaica. It was at Jamaica where Douglas first met Olive Grace Campbell (see The Morrell/Campbell Ancestry page), whom he would marry in 1940 at Bishop's Lodge Chapel, Kingston.

After the war, Douglas worked for a short time for Redifon, where he met Ray Brown, who would later leave to start Racal Electronics Plc in 1950. Douglas himself joined Racal in 1953 as the company's first manager of sales, and shortly thereafter became an investor in Racal. In 1955, Douglas increased his investment and became a director of Racal Engineering Ltd, which was the parent board to Racal. Douglas negotiated an agreement which saw Racal acquire the licence to a new radio receiver technology, which eventually became a standard receiver for the British government. When Racal had trouble raising capital to develop the new receiver, shortly after acquiring the licence, Douglas supplemented his investment with a large amount of cash, thus ensuring the successful development and production of the receiver.

For much of his career with Racal, Douglas was tireless in promoting the company's sales and in establishing Racal in emerging markets around the world. Racal would become one of the world's biggest exporters of electronics, receiving no less than 21 Queens Awards for Export Achievement. From 1975 to 1982, the year of Douglas's retirement, he was Deputy Managing Director of Racal Electronics.

Douglas was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (FIEE) in 1962, having previously been made a member in 1936. He was also a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, a livery company of the City of London, though he would resign in 1982, the year of his retirement. Also in 1982, he was invested by The Queen as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Douglas and Olive had two sons, Raymond Arthur Wellesley, born 1946, and Clive Ronald Wellesley, born 1948. Douglas would later divorce Olive, and wed Isa Charlotte, becoming a step-father to Marion Karin. Douglas and Isa had one son, Colin Anthony.

Douglas died on his 79^th birthday, 6 February 1996, while on vacation in Portugal. He rests at Brompton Cemetery, London.

On Thursday, 2 May 1996, a memorial service was held by Racal Electronics directors and employees to honour Douglas' memory.

Douglas was predeceased by his first wife, Olive, who passed away in 1980. His second wife, Isa, still lives in London, England. Their two children, Marion Karin Morrell, Isa's daughter from a previous marriage, and Colin Anthony Morrell are also said to be living in London.

Brief Chronology of Douglas' Life:

1917
Born, baptised and then adopted Douglas Wellesley Morrell at Emmanuel, Compton Gifford, Plymouth, Devonshire

1934
Graduated from Dauntsey's, Wiltshire

1936
Becomes a Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers

1938
Graduated from Faraday House, London, with BSc in engineering, with Gold Medal; Began working for Marconi Wireless that same year

1940
While working for Marconi, installing radio direction-finding equipment to aid the war effort, met his future wife, Miss Olive Campbell, in Jamaica; Olive had been working as a secretary to her father, Mr Henry Campbell, who was in his fiftieth year working for the Jamaica Public Service Company; Douglas and Olive married that year and honeymooned in Suva, Fiji

1946
Douglas and Olive have their first son, Raymond Arthur Wellesley Morrell, while living in Chelmsford, Essex

1948
Their second son, Clive Ronald Wellesley Morrell, born at Wimbledon

1953
Began working for Racal Electronics Plc, a firm begun by a colleague at Redifon, with whom he had worked in 1950

1955
Became a director and partner in Racal Electronics after increasing his investment at a critical period in the company's early years which enabled the firm to continue development of radio transceivers then being made for military and government use

1962
Becomes a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers

1960s
Divorcing from his wife of over twenty years, Douglas marries his secretary, Isa, becoming step-father to her daughter, and later having a son, Colin, with her

1982
Invested a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Douglas retires from Racal and resigns from the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, where he had been a member for some years, and moves with his family to Münich, Federal Republic of Germany

1996
Douglas dies aged 79 while on vacation in Portugal; He had been living with his wife Isa in London for several years; A memorial service is later held in his honour at Wigmore Hall, London; He is interred at Brompton Cemetery, London

Mids Clive R W Morrell, RN
A photograph from about 1968 showing Clive Morrell as a new Midshipman in the Royal Navy

Photo: Private Collection, © 2004

800 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm
Lt Cdr Clive R W Morrell, RN, was attached to 800 NAS, aboard HMS Hermes, amongst many other naval assignments. Surmounted by a naval crown, the squadron badge shows crossed swords with winged hilts and a trident, within a rope circle.

Image: From the Royal Navy website, Crown © 2003

The Living Morrells

Raymond emigrated to Montréal, Québec, Canada, in 1968. He worked for a short time for the Bank of Montreal before settling in Toronto. He married Beverley Mary Anne Urechko, of Kamsack, Saskatchewan, Canada (click here for more information about the Urechkos) in 1975. They had one son, Raymond Jon Wellesley Morrell, born 1975, who is the author of this web site.

For a time, Raymond and Beverley operated an art gallery in Toronto, at the Village by the Grange. Later, while living in St Catherines, Ontario from 1979 to 1980, they owned and ran The Maple Leaf Art Gallery at nearby Niagara Falls, where the current Casino Niagara now stands. The galleries offered a variety of artwork, including many Native artworks.

Raymond's marriage to Beverley was dissolved by divorce in 1994 following a separation of 14 years.

In 1998, Raymond received his Bachelor of Arts degree (Political Science) from York University in Toronto.

Lieutenant-Commander Clive Morrell, Royal Navy (Retd) is the last Morrell thus far to have entered service in the Royal Navy. Clive joined the Fleet Air Arm, in about 1966, and served aboard various ships, progressing through various ranks, and flying a variety of aircraft.

Clive is a combat veteran of the Falklands War (1982), having served aboard the carrier Hermes in the South Atlantic War, with 800 Naval Air Squadron, flying the FA-2 Sea Harrier. Clive earned the South Atlantic Medal (see below) for his service in the conflict.

Clive retired from the Royal Navy and joined the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) in 1988, finally retiring altogether in 1994.

Clive was recently a pilot for a British airline and retired in March 1999. He and his wife, Edana, who was herself an officer in the RAF, now live in France and Ireland.

Clive's Medal

Lt Morrell engaged a Skyhawk piloted by Lt-Cdr Alberto Philippi, destroying the hostile fighter with an AIM-9 sidewinder missile. Philippi managed to eject unharmed, and survived the war. Clive went on to have a hand in downing one of the remaining two Skyhawks, although when the aircraft was later recovered it clearly had taken fire from Royal Marine units on the ground.

Clive was awarded the South Atlantic Medal, the medal for the Falklands campaign. The medal is embellished with a rosette for his role in the combat theatre (south of Ascension Island). The oak leaf represents his mention-in-despatches published in The London Gazette on 11 October 1982, for his actions in combat on 21 May 1982.

Last updated: 2004-05-03

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