9/1709 Gunner Leslie Samuel Murray, (27/12/1895-22/8/1918). "faithful unto death"

ROLL OF HONOUR.

MURRAY. — August 22, 1918, killed inaction in France, Gunner Leslie Samuel Murray NZFA (Eighth Reinforcement), second beloved son of A. Murray, 159, Puriri Street, Fendalton (late of Lyndhurst); in his twenty-third year. Faithful unto death.   -Lyttelton Times, 7/9/1918.

PERSONAL NOTES.

Mr A. Murray, of 159 Puriri Street, has received word that his second son, Gunner Leslie Samuel Murray, was killed in action in France on August 22. Gunner Murray went away with the Mounted Rifles in the Eighth Reinforcement, which sailed from Lyttelton in November, 1915. In Egypt he transferred into the artillery, and went on to France with the first draft of New Zealanders. With the exception of a period during which he was invalided in England, he had served continuously. Gunner Murray, who was barely twenty when he enlisted, had been assisting his father on his farm at Lyndhurst. He was born in Brookside, and did most of his schooling at Methven. His elder brother, Raymond, went away with the Sixth Reinforcements, and was invalided home.  -Lyttelton Times, 7/9/1918.

Leslie Murray was killed while serving in the 11th Battery of the 3rd Brigade of the NZ Field Artillery.  His death occurred during fierce fighting on the approaches to the French city of Bapaume, which was strongly defended by a German army.  The Germans were on the defensive and becoming desperate to keep the war from their own home territory.

The Field Artillery's Official History describes conditions on August 22nd, 1918:

The country was broken and intersected with trenches, and the roads, such as they were, torn and pitted with shell fire. Battery and ammunition column teams were on the road all night, bringing up ammunition, and by early morning on the 22nd 450 rounds per gun had been dumped at each position. The Puisieux Valley was heavily shelled during the early hours of the morning, severe casualties being incurred in running the gauntlet of the 5.9's. At 5 a.m. all guns were hotly in action answering S.O.S. calls from the 42nd Division, on the right; an enemy counter-attack was beaten off, although some batteries were under fairly heavy fire while answering the call. At one stage, when the line fell back to within close range of the 7th Battery, the battery commander had one gun run forward to the crest in front of the position, and engaged the enemy infantry over open sights.

 

Oamaru Cemetery.