British generals Jerusalem 1918 AWM A02746A

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Sir Malcolm Donald Murray (9 July 1867 – 2 August 1938) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...

Background

Murray was the younger son of Brigadier-General Alexander Henry Murray (1829-1885) by his wife Martha Frances Vincent Davenport (d. 1911). His father was a patrilineal grandson of the 4th Earl of Dunmore, who was descended from a younger son of the first

Marquess of Atholl A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, of the

Clan Murray Clan Murray () is a Highland Scottish clan. The chief of the Clan Murray holds the title of Duke of Atholl. Their ancestors were the Morays of Bothwell who established the family in Scotland in the 12th century. In the 16th century, descendants ...

Military career

Murray was commissioned a

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

on 29 February 1888. He was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 4 September 1889, and to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 1 February 1895. At the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in 1899, Murray was sent with his battalion to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, where he fought in the

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

. After his return to the United Kingdom, he was in February 1902 seconded for service on the Staff, and appointed Aide-de-camp to Major-General

Ronald Lane Major-General Sir Ronald Bertram Lane, (19 February 1847 – 7 March 1937) was a British Army officer who became Military Secretary. Early life Lane was born at Kings Bromley Manor, Lichfield, Staffordshire, in 1847, the youngest son and 10th ...

, Commanding the Infantry Brigade at

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The following year, Murray was appointed Aide-de-camp to Field Marshal the Duke of Connaught, and served as such during his remaining years as Commander-in-Chief Ireland (until 1904), and from 1904-06 when he was Inspector-General to the Forces. He rejoined his regiment on the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and retired as

after serving on the Staff.

Courtier

Murray was

Extra Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 185016 January 1942), was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He served as Gov ...

from 1903 to 1907, when he was appointed Equerry and Comptroller of the Household to His Royal Highness. He served as Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park from 1929 to 1937.

Honours

Murray was appointed a Member (4th class) of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(MVO) in 1905, promoted to a Commander (CVO) of the order in the 1909 Birthday Honours list, knighted as a Knight Commander (KCVO) of the order in 1916, and promoted to Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) in the 1936 Birthday Honours list. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in the 1911 Coronation Honours, and later appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE). He also received numerous foreign decorations.

Death

Murray died aged 71 on 2 August 1938 from

drowning Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer a ...

after falling off of a capsized boat in Virginia Water Lake in the

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of , including a deer park, to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park was, for many ...

Borough of Runnymede The Borough of Runnymede is a local government district with borough status in the English county of Surrey. It is a very prosperous part of the London commuter belt, with some of the most expensive housing in the United Kingdom outside centra ...

in the county of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. He hit his neck on the way down, incapacitating him and rendering him unable to swim. One individual, Alexander Ure, tried unsuccessfully to save him.

Family

Murray married, in 1898, Lady Hilda Joanna Gwendolen Finch (1872-1931), daughter of

Heneage Finch, 7th Earl of Aylesford Heneage may refer to: *Baron Heneage, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom *Heneage knot, a decorative heraldic knot People with the surname *Algernon Heneage (1833–1915), Royal Navy officer dubbed "Pompo" *Arthur Heneage (1881–1971), ...

. They had one son, Lieutenant-Colonel Iain Arthur Murray (1904-1986).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Malcolm Donald 1867 births 1938 deaths Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Seaforth Highlanders officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I