John Murray

Major General John Joseph Murray, (26 April 1892 – 8 September 1951) was an Australian Army officer and businessman. He was decorated for his service on the Western Front in France during the First World War, and commanded the 20th Infantry Brigade that played a role in repelling Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps in Libya during the Second World War. Early life Murray was born on 26 April 1892 in Sydney, New South Wales the fourth child of John Murray, an Irish immigrant labourer, and his wife Margaret. He was educated at the local Catholic school before being taken on as an apprentice salesman for Sydney firm Anthony Hordern & Sons in 1910. He then joined the Citizen Military Forces where he did two years service, before joining the 33rd Regiment in 1913. First World War Following the outbreak of the First World War, Murray was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 6 March 1915. Soon after he set sail for Egypt. After initially being posted to the 1st Battalion, in March 1916 he was transferred to the 53rd Battalion, part of the 5th Division, when the AIF was reinforced with fresh recruits from Australia. The 5th Division soon moved from Egypt to France where it was thrust into the brutal fighting of the Western Front. By 19 July 1916 Murray's 53rd Battalion were involved in the first action that the AIF saw on the Western Front, that of the horrific Battle of Fromelles. Because 5,533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner in an operation which was a total failure, the Australian War Memorial describes the battle as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history". Despite the action being a decisive victory for the German Army, Murray was cited for his "courage and tenacity" in leading a charge and holding the position he had captured, and was duly awarded the Military Cross. The citation for the medal reads: