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 is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

Viscount Fincastle until 1907, was a Scottish peer, 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 VD DL (24 March 1841 – 27 August 1907), styled Viscount Fincastle from birth until 1845, was a Scottish peer, Conservative politician, explorer, author, and artist. Early life He was born in Lond ...

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 a British Army officer and peer. He was the son of George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore. Early life He was the son of George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore and Lady Susan ...

, 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 peerage, British peer. Background Leicester was the son of Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh ...

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

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

noblewoman Countess Catherine Woronzoff (or

Vorontsov The House of Vorontsov (), 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 on 6 April 1845 ...

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

Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov (or Woronzow; ; 9 July 1832) was a Russian diplomat from the aristocratic Vorontsov family. He resided in Britain for the last 47 years of his life, from 1785 until his death in 1832, during which time he was the ...

. 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 depa ...

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 wa ...

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 Pr ...

Governor-General of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 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 in their capacity as the emperor o ...

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

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and saw action in the

Mahdist War The Mahdist War (; 1881–1899) was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam (the "Guided One"), and the forces of the Khedivate of Egypt, initially, and later th ...

Victoria Cross

In 1897, aged 26, while a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

, Murray returned to India also acting as a

war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. 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 in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, 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 i ...

and Hector Lachlan Stewart MacLean) 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, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...

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 decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

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 (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

and was present at the

Relief of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try t ...

. 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 s ...

, comprising 139th–142nd and 177th Companies), and was appointed in command of the battalion with the temporary rank of Lieutenant-colonel 22 January 1902. The battalion numbered 32 officers and 603 men, recruited mainly from the Highlands. They left

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

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 . He relinquished the command of the 31st battalion Imperial Yeomanry in January 1903. For his service in South Africa he earned a

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...

. In 1906, Murray was awarded the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

, was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...

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 is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

; first, as

Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 () or the County of Inverness, is a Counties of Scotland, historic county in Scotland. It is named after Inverness, its largest settlement, which was also the county town. Covering much of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and s ...

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 (the Duke of Albany's) to form ...

, 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 Battle of the Somme, Somme battlefield cemeteries, containing 3,872 World War I burials. Th ...

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 is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

. His titles then passed to his grandson, John Alexander Murray (1939–1980), 9th Earl of Dunmore, 9th Viscount of Fincastle, 9th Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin and Tillimet, and 5th Baron Dunmore.

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 Military personnel from the City of Westminster People from Marylebone Members of London County Council Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms Deputy lieutenants of Inverness-shire

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. 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 ar ...

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