Morrison John Stanton Fleming “JSF” Image 2 Somerset 1923

Description

West Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne born left back John Stanton Fleming “JSF” Morrison was educated at Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cambridge, and started playing amateur football for The Corinthians in 1910, also playing for Old Carthusians and Jarrow before going to Cambridge University in 1913. The First World War interrupted his studies at Cambridge and he returned after the War to finish them in 1919. He was a bomber pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during the War and a Group Captain in the RAF during the Second World War. He was among the first pilots to land an airplane on an aircraft carrier. He was awarded the DFC and bar.

In his younger years he was a talented all-round sportsman, representing England once at football as a left back,  playing one Amateur international as the England captain in a 9-0 thrashing of Wales at Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil in January 1920, and also playing for The Corinthians. In 1919 after the conclusion of the First World War he joined First Division club Sunderland on amateur forms and made his Football League debut, and sole appearance for The Wearsiders, at left back in a 2-1 win over Manchester City in December 1919. He continued to play for The Corinthians in major fixtures well into the 1920’s.

He also played first class cricket with Cambridge University and for Somerset between 1912 and 1922, playing 38 first class matches with a batting average of 30.49 and a top score of 233 not out for Cambridge University against Marylebone Cricket Club (M.C.C.), when he batted for only 165 minutes. At the time it was a record first class score for Cambridge and a record for the Fenner’s ground. He made three further first class centuries and scored 6 half centuries, with 1,982 total runs scored. He also represented the M.C.C. in 1921 and 1922.

A fine golfer, he also won the Belgian Amateur Golf Championship in 1929. Professionally, he was a golf course architect. He worked predominantly with Charles Alison, Harry Colt, and Alister MacKenzie, in 1928 forming Colt, Alison & Morrison Ltd.