The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2717) Corporal James Alan Murray, 50th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (2717) Corporal James Alan Murray, 50th Battalion, AIF, First World War.

2717 Corporal James Alan Murray, 50th Battalion, AIF
KIA 2 April 1917

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal James Alan Murray.

James Murray, known as “Alan”, was born on 11 April 1895, the second son of James and Fanny Murray of Adelaide. He attended Norwood state school before going on to the Adelaide School of Mines. He was awarded a first class certificate and a gold medal for his lead work, and went on to undertake an apprenticeship as a plumber. He was a keen sportsman and a strong swimmer, and had reportedly saved people from drowning on at least two occasions.

Alan Murray enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in April 1915. As a 20-year-old apprentice, he had to obtain the permission of his parents and his employer before he could enlist. He was accepted for service with the 10th Battalion, and underwent a period of training in Australia before leaving for active service overseas in September 1915.

Private Murray first went to Egypt, where he continued training in the desert. At one point he was swimming with some friends in the Suez Canal when someone got out of their depth and ran into trouble. Murray again came to the rescue, fishing him out before he could drown. Murray probably spent a very short period of time on Gallipoli before the evacuation, later returning to Egypt with the remainder of the 10th Battalion.

In early 1916 the AIF underwent a period of expansion and reorganisation known as the “doubling of the AIF”. As part of this process Alan Murray was transferred to the 50th Battalion. Arriving in France in June 1916, he and the 50th Battalion took part in their first major attack on the Western Front the following August near the French village of Pozieres. The battalion suffered heavy casualties in several attacks towards the fortified Mouquet Farm, but Murray came through unscathed. He proved an able soldier, and shortly after the battalion was withdrawn, he was promoted to the rank of corporal.

Corporal Murray spent the bitterly cold winter of 1916 to 1917 with his battalion, rotating in and out of the front line. He was in charge of a bombing team in D Company of the 50th Battalion, and was known as “the most reliable and bravest non-commissioned officer in the company”.

On the morning of 2 April 1917, the 50th Battalion attacked the French village of Noreuil, a German outpost to the Hindenburg Line. They had been in the front line for several days already, and Murray had spent a considerable amount of time in no man’s land each night, conducting reconnaissance and searching for wounded men. Murray’s friend, Charles Litchfield, later described the impending attack, saying “although we had been told it was a very easy job, we knew differently, and just before starting, all the section shook hands with each other.”

As the attack began, Corporal Murray led his section forward under heavy German fire. Litchfield was hit after a few hundred metres, but Murray continued on, leading his men until all had been killed or wounded. Despite being wounded himself, he continued to advance until he was killed outright by yet another enemy bullet.

Charles Litchfield wrote to Alan Murray’s parents in Adelaide to say “Alan was regarded by his officers as an absolutely trustworthy and cool NCO; and by us who were under his command, he was loved as a brother – a tried and true friend. I should like to say how proud you ought to be to have owned such a son as your Alan.”

Although there were some reports of Alan Murray having been buried on the battlefield, his grave was never recovered, and today he is commemorated on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. He was 22 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Corporal James Alan Murray, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.
Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section