The Ministry of Defense (MoD) has acknowledged that a “selfless and kind-hearted” soldier who passed out during the week of a record-breaking heatwave died in a “non-operational incident.”
On July 23, Sapper Connor Morrison, 20, of Woodbridge, Suffolk, passed away in Ipswich.
The man, a member of the 23rd Parachute Engineer Regiment, was reportedly having respiratory problems at Rock Barracks in Sutton Heath, Suffolk, two days prior to being transported by ambulance to Ipswich Hospital.
At the time, Suffolk Police reported receiving a report from the ambulance service that “a guy had collapsed,” while the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust said that it was called to “reports of a man with breathing issues.”
A new UK record high temperature of 40.3C was recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, earlier that week on July 19. His death was the subject of an inquiry that was opened in August by the Defense Safety Authority, Suffolk Police, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Lieutenant Colonel Jack Crossley, who is also the commanding officer of the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, praised the “professional soldier with much promise,” adding that he was “keen and enthusiastic, worked hard to achieve his goals at every stage of his training, and impressed his instructors with his knowledge and skills.” More significantly, he was a true team player and a devoted friend.
Sapper Morrison, he said, “made friends everywhere he went”. He was a really unselfish and kind-hearted professional soldier. He demonstrated that he was a proud and devoted Corps of Royal Engineers soldier, and he would always be a member of the Sapper clan. The Regiment and everyone he served with will dearly miss Sapper Morrison. We shall never forget him.
James Heappey, the minister for the armed forces, stated: “It is with great grief that I learned of Sapper Connor Liam Morrison’s passing from the 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment.
“It’s obvious from his colleagues that he had a love for the British Army, had an immediate good influence on everyone he served with, and always placed the needs of his fellow troops before his own; he was an inspiration to everyone,” his coworkers said. In this tragic moment, our hearts go out to his family and loved ones.
Sapper Morrison’s death will be the subject of an inquiry at a later time.