Alexander Edward Murray, 8th Earl of Dunmore (22 April 1871 – 29 January 1962), known by the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some co ...

Viscount Fincastle until 1907, was a British soldier and politician.

Early life and colonial military career

Murray was born on 22 April 1871 to

Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore Charles Adolphus Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore Volunteer Decoration, VD (24 March 1841 – 27 August 1907), styled Viscount Fincastle from birth until 1845, was a Peerage of Scotland, Scottish peer, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, ...

and Lady Gertrude Coke, immediately taking the courtesy title of Viscount Fincastle. His grandparents included

Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore Alexander Edward Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore (1 June 1804 – 15 July 1845) was the son of George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore. On 27 September 1836 in Frankfurt, Germany, he married Lady Catherine Herbert, daughter of the 11th Earl of Pembroke ...

, Lady Catherine Herbert,

Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester Thomas William Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester (26 December 1822 – 24 January 1909), known as Viscount Coke from 1837 to 1842, was a British peer. Background Leicester was the son of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, by his second wife Lady ...

, and Juliana Whitbread. His paternal great-grandmother was the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

noblewoman Countess Catherine Woronzoff (or

Vorontsov Vorontsov (russian: Воронцо́в), also Woroncow and de Woroncow-Wojtkowicz,is the name of a Russian noble family whose members attained the dignity of Counts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1744 and became Princes of the Russian Empire in ...

a), daughter of the Russian ambassador to St James's,

Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov (or Woronzow, russian: Семён Романович Воронцо́в; 26 June 17449 July 1832) was a Russian diplomat from the aristocratic Russian Vorontsov family, whose siblings included Alexander Vorontso ...

. He was educated privately and at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

before joining the army. On 30 May 1892, Murray was commissioned into the

16th Lancers The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early war ...

and sent to India. Murray was aide-de-camp to

Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, 13th Earl of Kincardine, (16 May 184918 January 1917), known as Lord Bruce until 1863, was a right-wing British Liberal politician who served as Viceroy of India from 1894 to 1899. He was appointed by ...

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

from 1895 to 1897. In 1896, he accompanied the Dongola Expedition to the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and saw action in the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War ( ar, الثورة المهدية, ath-Thawra al-Mahdiyya; 1881–1899) was a war between the Mahdist Sudanese of the religious leader Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided On ...

Victoria Cross

In 1897, aged 26, while a

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 ...

in the

, Murray returned to India also acting as a war correspondent for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

''. On 17 August 1897 at Nawa Kili, Upper Swat,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, Lieutenant Murray with two other officers (

Robert Bellew Adams Major-General Sir Robert Bellew Adams (Muree, Punjab, India, 26 July 1856 – 13 February 1928, Inverness) was a Scottish general of the Indian Army and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in ...

and

Hector Lachlan Stewart MacLean Hector Lachlan Stewart MacLean, VC (13 September 1870 – 17 August 1897) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Comm ...

) and five men of the Guides, went under a heavy and close fire, to the rescue of a lieutenant of the

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

who was lying disabled by a bullet wound and surrounded by enemy swordsmen. While the wounded officer was being brought under cover, he was killed by a bullet. One of the officers of the rescue party was mortally wounded and four horses were shot. The message sent to their superiors read: Murray received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for his actions, becoming the only journalist to be so honoured.

Later political and military career

Murray's account of his colonial service was published in 1898. In 1899, Murray was posted to South Africa as aide-de-camp to General Sir H. C. Chermside in South Africa. He fought in 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 ...

and was present at the

Relief of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the South African Republic, Transvaal besieged the diam ...

. In late 1901 he raised Fincastle's Horse (31st Battalion

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but su ...

, comprising 139th–142nd and 177th Companies), and was appointed in command of the battalion with the temporary rank of

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. ...

22 January 1902. The battalion numbered 32 officers and 603 men, recruited mainly from the Highlands They left

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in April 1902 to embark the SS Galatea for South Africa, where they arrived the following month. The war in South Africa ended shortly after their arrival, and Lord Fincastle stayed until late November, when he returned on the . For his service in South Africa he earned a

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. In 1906, Murray was awarded 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 ...

for services to the Prince of Wales, in connection with the marriage of King Alfonso of Spain. When in February 1907 Murray's father died, he succeeded to the family titles, becoming the eighth earl, and resigned his commission to look after the family's considerable estates. He lived at 55 Lancaster Gate, London. He returned to active duty in 1914 with the outbreak of

World War I 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 ...

, serving as a staff officer on the Western Front. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

, was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

four times and wounded twice. Between the wars, Murray held political office, serving as a government whip in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

; first, as

Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms The Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms is a post in the Government of the United Kingdom that has been held by the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the ...

in 1924; and then as a

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

from 1930 to 1936. He also held the ceremonial role of Deputy Lieutenant of

Inverness-shire Inverness-shire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. Covering much of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, it is Scotland's largest county, though one of the smallest in populatio ...

Personal life

On 5 January 1904, he married Lucinda Dorothea Kemble, daughter of Colonel Horace William Kemble. They had three children: *Lady Marjorie Hilda Murray (1904-2000) *Edward David Murray, Viscount Fincastle (1908–1940). Killed in action in northern France on 5 June, while serving as a Captain with 4th Bn.

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Al ...

, he is buried at the

London Cemetery and Extension The London Cemetery and Extension is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at High Wood near Longueval, France. It is the third largest of the Somme battlefield cemeteries, containing 3,872 World War I burials. The cemetery stands di ...

on the Somme. *Lady Mary Elizabeth Murray (1913-2000), married Major Peter Oldfield in April 1937. He died in London on 29 January 1962 and was cremated at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

Bibliography

* Fincastle VC, Viscount; Eliott-Lockhart, Percy Clare. ondon: Methuen. 1898''A Frontier Campaign: A Narrative of the Operations of the Malakand and Buner Field Forces, 1897–1898''. Barnsley: Naval & Military Press, 2005.

References

External links

*
Location of grave and VC medal
''(Golders Green)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunmore, Alexander Murray, 8th Earl 1871 births 1962 deaths British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British military personnel of the Tirah campaign Members of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Eton College 16th The Queen's Lancers officers Earls of Dunmore British military personnel of the Malakand Frontier War British Army personnel of the Mahdist War British Army personnel of World War I Imperial Yeomanry officers People from Marylebone Members of London County Council Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Deputy Lieutenants of Inverness-shire

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

British people of Russian descent British war correspondents British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross The Times people Nairne, Alexander Murray, 8th Earl of