George Harrison was the son of George and Mary Harrison, of Runciman, south Auckland, New Zealand.

He was educated at Ramarama Primary School and Auckland Grammar School and afterwards at Victoria University and Canterbury University where he gained good grades in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. He also enrolled at the Christchurch School of Accountancy for a year. He played rugby for Linwood Football Club and was an active member of the Avon Rowing Club.

before enlistment he was a clerk with the Transport Department, District Office, Christchurch

He was awarded his Flying Badge on 27 March 1942 and seven months later gained the rank of Flying Officer. During this time he was attached to the Royal Air Force Ferry Command, Dorval, Quebec from March 1942, engaged in ferrying bomber aircraft to the United Kingdom.

On 5 December 1942 Flying Officer Harrison was a member of the crew delivering a bomber aircraft which crashed when on a flight from Dorval to Houlton, thence to Gander en route to the UK. Flying Officer Harrison and three members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who were in the aircraft lost their lives in the accident.

The New Zealand Herald of 17 December 1942 reported that George Harrison had been killed on active service. (refer to p. 5A)

The interest of a World War 2 pilot, Leicester Smith (NZ414352) and his wife, carried out research in Auckland in 1997 and 1998 located the grave of Pilot Officer Harrison. Leicester Smith (NZ414352) trained and graduated with Harrison in 1942 and knew that he had subsequently been killed. The information the Smiths obtained in their search revealed that George Harrison is believed to be the only New Zealand World War 2 casualty to be buried in the United States. The Smiths also located Harrison's next-of-kin. In 1999 Ms Colleen Rae-Gerrard (Australia) visited the grave of her uncle in Houlton, Maine, USA. A ceremony organised by Brown-Horten American Legion Post 209 in Houlton was attended by local officials, post members and members of the Canadian Legion. The ceremony ended with the New Zealand flag being lowered and presented to Colleen and her husband Michael. Finally the American flag was also lowered, folded and presented to the couple.

Local interest in the event was considerable. Mr Leland Longstaff (aged 88) who was working at the Houlton air base in 1942 remembered the crash and told Colleen about it. The newspaper reporter covering the event presented her with a copy of the newspaper article published in December 1942 detailing the crash. With Bob and Sue Ziegelaar (Bangor Airport Manager) they visited the site of the crash.

Remembered on the Drury-Runciman Memorial

Next of kin details compiled from information in the Casualty lists published in the newspapers.

Attended Auckland Grammar School (Source: RNZAF Biographies (R17845611)) AWMM