Obituary: Captain John Murray MC, soldier and businessman

Published on Wednesday 23 February 2011 17:56

Captain John Murray MC, soldier and businessman. Born: 15 December, 1922, in Ayr. Died: 6 February, 2011, aged 88.

John Murray took part in some of the most bitter and fierce fighting in the Burma campaign during the Second World War. His bravery at the Battle of Imphal in 1944, when he was still a young and recently commissioned officer, displayed cool judgment and much courage.

Historians believe that not only did the battle prove to be the turning point in the Burma campaign but that it was the biggest defeat the Japanese suffered on land throughout the whole war.

Later, as a businessman, Murray proved to be a most successful director of James Finlay & Co, the long established Scottish trading company, that had dealings in India and South-east Asia.

John Murray was the son of a distinguished soldier who had won a Military Cross in the First World War.

He attended Ayr Academy, where he was a keen athlete, and then graduated from the Indian Military Academy and was immediately commissioned into the Indian Army.

He was posted to the 3rd Battalion 1st King George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (3/1 GR) as an intelligence officer in May 1944. Within weeks of his arrival the battalion was despatched to join the 17th Indian Division, which was involved in fierce combat against in Burma.

The Japanese were ensconced on a strategically important hillside close to Imphal in the state of Manipur.

They were attempting to overrun the Allied forces and break down their resistance and then invade India. To repel the Japanese onslaught was of much political importance; a Japanese break-through could have had severe consequences.

Members of the battalion attacked the Japanese post but were placed in serious jeopardy when a tank supporting them was knocked out of action. The advance was further curtailed when 3/1 GR came under heavy and constant rifle fire from the enemy.

The Gurkhas got bogged down in the paddy fields and, with much presence of mind, Murray took command of the battalion. By dint of his courage and personality Murray restored the morale of the men by issuing clear and definite orders.

When the battalion was ordered to withdraw Murray ensured it happened in an orderly fashion and disengaged the two flanks that were still fighting at close quarters with remarkable rapidity and with little further loss of life. Murray was awarded an immediate Military Cross and the citation paid tribute to his leadership, adding that "he had shown coolness and self-assurance that were exceptional for his length of service".

The following February Murray was part of an assault on well held Japanese bunkers in Nabet, Sagaing region.

The enemy proved resilient to the Gurkha attacks and eventually the charge was called off.The official records of the regiment spoke of the dangerous conditions under which the battalion had to recoup and withdraw.

They also had to collect their dead and wounded colleagues. Murray, once again, was resolute in the management of this hazardous operation.

After the war Murray joined the international trading company James Findlay & Co, based in Glasgow. Initially he trained as an accountant there and after he qualified in 1950 he worked in the Glasgow head office and became much involved with the Glasgow Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Murray was a most enthusiastic member of the organisation and served as Scottish president in 1958.

In 1962 he was moved south to become the managing director of Finlay's subsidiary, the Croydon-based George Payne and Co, which was involved in marine engineering. He was promoted to the main Finlay board and retired in 1987.

Murray and his family settled at Edenbridge, Kent. From his youth he had been a keen golfer and much enjoyed angling and tending his garden. John Murray married, in 1947, Margaret Wilson; she predeceased him, and he is survived by their two sons.