Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

John Joseph Murray was born in 1875 at Oanaru (military record), the son of John Murray. He was surely the John Murray born in 1873 at Oamaru to John and Winifred. His twin sister, Catherine, died at 3 months and was buried at Oamaru Old Cemetery. Irish-born John and Winifred appear to have married in Irleand. They may well have had two sons (or more?) before coming to New Zealand. Following John and Catherine born in 1873, there were born in New Zealand – Jeremiah in 1874, William in 1877 and Matthew in 1880. John, junior, did attend the Oamaru Catholic School and he may have attended Oamaru South School. Their mother died at Oamaru in 1911.

John J. Murray, Timaru, was one of the South Canterbury recruits for the eleventh reinforcements (Infantry), who left Timaru for Trentham on 15 December 1915. He was medically examined at Timaru and when he enlisted on 15 December 1915 at Trentham, he gave his address as Timaru. A labourer for Charles Bros, Rangitata, single, and Roman Catholic, he named his father as next-of-kin – John Muray, Humber Street, Oamaru.

Rifleman J. J. Murray embarked with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Reinforcements, departing from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, on 1 April 1916. Exactly six months after embarking, he was killed in action – on 1 October 1916 at the Somme, France. His age at death was given as 41 or 44 years. His name is inscribed on the Caterpillar Valley (New Zealand) Memorial, Longueval, Somme, France.

His father, John Murray, died in September 1917 at the Victoria Home, Oamaru. John Joseph Murray’s medals were sent to Mr Michael Patrick Murray, Towai, Bay of Islands, care of Mr J. Murray (brother). Michael was possibly John’s oldest brother. His brother Jeremiah married in 1901 and in about 1903 moved from Oamaru to the North Island, where the family lived for many years, at some time at Towai. In his Will, John Murray, senior, “promised upon trust for my son John Murray and my granddaughter Winnie Murray in equal shares.” Perhaps he was unaware that John had been killed in action? Wiinie was probably the daughter of Jeremiah.

When John’s youngest brother, Matthew Murray, enlisted in October 1916 at Oamaru, he too named his father as next-of-kin, but his father was by that time residing at Victoria Home, Oamaru. After returning home, Matthew married Ada Seyb of Timaru. He died in 1939 at Invercargill where he had resided from before the war. In time Ada returned to Timaru where she died in in 1964. Jeremiah Murray, a married man with six children, was listed on the Reserve Rolls.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [01 August 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [01 August 2022]; School Admission record (Balcutha Branch NZSG) [01 August 2022]; Timaru Herald, 9 December 1915, Oamaru Mail, 21 October 1916, North Otago Times, 23 October 1916 (Papers Past) [01 & 02 August 2022]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.