Retired Scalby nurse Jackie Morton reveals family secrets in two books about her father and his brothers' wartime exploits

A series of coincidences led to Jackie Morton uncovering her father and his brothers’ Second World War experiences – some of which had been kept secret for more than 50 years.
Jackie Morton with her two books - The first – The Night of Want is Breaking, Day Will Find Their Route and A Tale of Three BrothersJackie Morton with her two books - The first – The Night of Want is Breaking, Day Will Find Their Route and A Tale of Three Brothers
Jackie Morton with her two books - The first – The Night of Want is Breaking, Day Will Find Their Route and A Tale of Three Brothers

These include being part of the escape plan from a prison of war camp – immortalised in the film The Great Escape – bombing raids and being interred as a Fascist.

Retired nursing chief Jackie, who lives in Scalby with her husband Nigel, has now written books about her father Raymond and his siblings Francis and Henry.

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The first – The Night of Want is Breaking, Day Will Find Their Route – is about her uncle Francis Hamley who was interred on the Isle of Man for the duration of the Second World War.

Francis Hamley was a Black Shirt – a supporter of Oswald Mosley and founder of the British Union of Fascists.

“I was oblivious to the fact my Uncle Frank was classed as a Black Shirt,” said Jackie. “Only once did my dad refer to Frank as a Fascist and I didn’t know what that meant. It was a family secret.”

Francis’ story came to light when Jackie met her son Ross’ wife Helene’s dad Vince Rosser over Sunday lunch.

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Mr Rosser runs an antique shop in Falsgrave and one of his customers, Arthur, had chatted to him about Mosley and the Union Movement and had mentioned the name Hamley.

Arthur, who lives in Scarborough, was given a menucator printer in the 1960s that had once belonged to Francis and Arthur gave it to Jackie as he wanted it back in the Hamley family.

Francis had given Arthur the printer when he had attended a meeting of a fledgling branch of the Union Movement held above the Harbour Bar on Scarborough seafront.

It was used to print leaflets and still includes stencils and paper. “This little printer opened the world of Frank to me,” said Jackie.

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She downloaded more than 270 pages on Francis’ life from the National Archives which form the basis of the book.

Her research also led to her being sent photographs of her uncle with Mosley – and information on the whereabouts of his Black Shirt.

“Francis was a Socialist and believed in Mosley’s vision of a better Britain. Like many other young men and women at that time, he saw someone in Mosley who was lively, vibrant and charismatic.

“For me it is not about whether Francis was right but that it happened,” said Jackie.

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The title of the book on Francis is taken from a letter he wrote to his wife Winnie when her thought he was going to be released.

It was Vince Rosser, again, who set Jackie on her second book. Hearing about her dad’s experiences as a bomber pilot, he recommended she write the story of two brothers. “I said there were three brothers – and that led me to research the life of my Uncle Henry.”

A Tale of Three Brothers: World War Two recounts the experiences of Francis, Henry and Raymond. Henry and her father Raymond fell out after the Second World War and Jackie never met her uncle.

She discovered Henry was in the RAF, was shot down and was a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft 3 at the time of the Great Escape. “He was in the very hut where tunnel ‘Dick’ was excavated,” she said.

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Her father was also in the RAF and during one attack. bombed a church in the German town of Kleve.

Forty years later, when Raymond was working as a headteacher in Whitby, he was invited to the town and at first declined. After a visit in Whitby from the reverend of the Kleve church, he agreed to visit. “That led to my dad buying a stained glass window in the church and taking gifts of Whitby jet,” said Jackie.

Jackie grew up in Whiby where she lived for 50 years. She moved to Scarborough in 2011 after living and working in Scotland for a few years. Her third book will be about her life and work in the NHS. She started as a student nurse, was a district nurse in Scarborough and rose through the ranks to be deputy chief nurse and divisional director.

“Writing the first two books highlighted to me how important it is to know the history of your family – whether or not it is nice,” she said.

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“It made me realise how little I knew about my family. It is important social history – whether people like it or not,” she said.

Both books are printed by McRay Press, Londseborough Road, Scarborough, and are available from The Art Shop in Falsgrave Road.

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