George Frederick Bingley Morris

1884-1965. Anglican bishop. Born in Edinburgh and graduate of Cambridge, where he was active in student evangelistic work, he led a pioneer party of the Africa Inland Mission into the NE Belgian Congo in 1913, later becoming field director of the AIM in the Congo and West Nile Uganda. From 1932 he served the Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society in Morocco, followed by some years of parish work in England before consecration by William Temple* in 1943 as bishop in North Africa. He resigned in 1954 to become rector of Christ Church, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, and the following year accepted election as bishop of the Church of England in South Africa which had long been without episcopal ministrations. His action was condemned by the archbishop of Canterbury, who claimed that he had put himself out of communion with the Church of England (which body was later to insist on reordination of a clergyman ordained by Morris). This did not modify Morris's stand; in 1959, acting alone, he consecrated Stephen Bradley, who continued as bishop in South Africa after Morris's death.