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A Tribute to one of our Stalwarts : WO1 Roy Morton
Roy Morton was born in Johannesburg on 15 March 1938, the younger of two children.
He has been married to Dawn for forty eight years; a marriage which has been blessed with four children (2 daughters and 2 sons) all of whom are now grown up and married themselves. Roy and Dawn are the proud grandparents of five grandsons and a granddaughter.
Roy grew up in Johannesburg and was educated at Johannesburg Technical High and Trade School where he was also a keen member of the School Cadet Corps and .22 Rifle Shooting team. He was an avid sportsman who played rugby and tennis at school. His love of rugby led him to play for the Old Simmer and Jack Club for a number of years after leaving school.
In his youth, Roy was a Wolf Cub, then a Boy Scout and later a Rover Scout. He also served as an altar boy in the local Parish Church.
On leaving school Roy was indentured as an apprentice plumber, a trade in which he was employed for a number of years before joining the Valuation Department of the United Building Society (prior to the subsequent formation of the ABSA Bank Group).
Here he applied himself with vigour and in time became a proficient and knowledgeable property assessor who was also a member of the South African Institute of Valuers as well as an associate of the South African Council of Valuers.
Roy was later promoted to managerial level, firstly in charge of the Alberton Valuation Centre and then later the Rosebank Hub, which was where Roy retired after thirty years service with the group.
With regard to his military service, Roy started his part time army career in 1957 when he was called up for service in the, then, Active Citizen Force, reporting B Squadron,1 SSB for his initial armour training.
On completion of his initial training Roy was posted to the Imperial Light Horse Regiment where he served for the next fourteen years. During this time he attended numerous instructional and promotion courses, which enabled him to obtain the rank of WO2.
In 1971 he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish where he served for four years until being appointed to the post of RSM of the resuscitated 2 Light Horse Regiment (2 LHR) which was re-established as part of the expanding SADF in the 1970's.
Roy served as LHR's RSM for thirteen years until his transfer to 8 SA Armoured Division in 1988. In 1989 he was appointed as the Divisional Sergeant Major and served in that position until it became a full time force post in 1994.
Roy remained on the Division's strength as a supernumerary until he was approached with the request to accept a second term of office as RSM of 2 LHR in order to assist with the winding down of the Regiment and its amalgamation with 1 LHR to form the LHR.
Roy's final stint of service in uniform was a two year tenure (2004 / 05) with the SA Army Armour Formation as a member of the late Col WF (Bill) Hume's staff.
Roy received numerous decorations and awards, including the Pro Merito Decoration and the forty year long service medal, together with several commendation certificates.
Notwithstanding his mandatory discharge due to age, Roy has retained his interest in matters military and is currently serving on the National Council of the S.A. Armour Association. A Stalwart Indeed!
{This tribute was submitted by Brig Gen MB Anderson (Ret) }
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