Alexander Murray, 8th Earl of Dunmore
Encyclopedia
Alexander Edward Murray, 8th Earl of Dunmore, VC
, DSO
, MVO
, DL
(22 April 1872 – 29 January 1962) was more commonly known as Viscount Fincastle. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth
forces.
and Lady Gertrude Coke, immediately taking the courtesy title of Viscount Fincastle. His grandparents included Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore
, Lady Catherine Herbert
, Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester
, and Lady Juliana Whitbread. His paternal great-grandmother being the Russian
noblewoman Countess Catherine Woronzoff
(or Vorontsov
a), daughter of the Russian ambassador to St James's, Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov
. He was educated privately and at Eton
before joining the army.
On 30 May 1892, Murray was commissioned into the 16th Lancers and sent to India. Murray was aide-de-camp
to Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin
, Governor-General of India from 1895 to 1897. In 1896, he accompanied the Dongola Expedition to the Sudan
and saw action in the Mahdist War
.
in the 16th Lancers, Murray returned to India also acting as a war correspondent
for The Times
. On 17 August 1897 at Nawa Kili, Upper Swat, British India, Lieutenant Murray with two other officers (Robert Bellew Adams 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 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
for his actions, becoming the only journalist to be so honoured.
in South Africa. He fought in the Second Boer War
and was present at the Relief of Kimberley. In 1902, he raised and commanded Fincastle's Horse (31st Imperial Yeomanry
), and earned a Mention in Despatches.
In 1906, Murray was awarded the Royal Victorian Order
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 ninth earl, and resigned his commission to look after the family's considerable estates. He returned to active duty in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I
, serving as a staff officer on the Western Front
. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order during the Battle of the Somme, was Mentioned in Despatches four times and wounded twice.
Between the wars, Murray held political office, serving as a government whip in the House of Lords
; first, as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms in 1924; and then as a Lord-in-Waiting
from 1930 to 1936. He also held the ceremonial role of Deputy Lieutenant
of Inverness-shire
.
He died in London on 29 January 1962.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(22 April 1872 – 29 January 1962) was more commonly known as Viscount Fincastle. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early life and colonial military career
Murray was born on 22 April 1872 to Charles Murray, 7th Earl of DunmoreCharles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore
Charles Adolphus Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore VD , styled Viscount Fincastle from birth until 1845, was a Scottish peer and Conservative politician.-Background:...
and Lady Gertrude Coke, immediately taking the courtesy title of Viscount Fincastle. His grandparents included Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore
Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore
Alexander Edward Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore was the son of George Murray, 5th Earl of Dunmore.On 27 September 1836, he married Lady Catherine Herbert, daughter of the 11th Earl of Pembroke...
, Lady Catherine Herbert
Catherine Murray, Countess of Dunmore
Catherine Murray, Countess of Dunmore , was a British peeress and promoter of Harris Tweed.-Family:...
, Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester
Thomas William Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester KG , known as Viscount Coke from 1837 to 1842, was a British peer....
, and Lady Juliana Whitbread. His paternal great-grandmother being the Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
noblewoman Countess Catherine Woronzoff
Catherine Vorontsov
Countess Ekaterina Semyonovna Vorontsova was the daughter of Semyon Vorontsov, Russian ambassador in Britain, and the only sister of Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, Viceroy of New Russia and Caucasus ....
(or Vorontsov
Vorontsov
Vorontsov, also Woronzow, Woroncow is a celebrated Russian family, which attained the dignity of Counts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1744 and Serene Princes of the Russian Empire in 1852....
a), daughter of the Russian ambassador to St James's, Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov
Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov
Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov was a Russian diplomat whose siblings included Alexander Vorontsov, Elizaveta Vorontsova, and Ekaterina Dashkova...
. He was educated privately and at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
before joining the army.
On 30 May 1892, Murray was commissioned into the 16th Lancers and sent to India. Murray was aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin
Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin
Victor Alexander Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, 13th Earl of Kincardine, KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC , known as Lord Bruce until 1863, was a British statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1894 to 1899.-Background and education:...
, Governor-General of India from 1895 to 1897. In 1896, he accompanied the Dongola Expedition to the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and saw action in the Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
.
Victoria Cross
In 1897, aged 26, while a lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the 16th Lancers, Murray returned to India also acting as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. On 17 August 1897 at Nawa Kili, Upper Swat, British India, Lieutenant Murray with two other officers (Robert Bellew Adams and Hector Lachlan Stewart MacLean
Hector Lachlan Stewart MacLean
Hector Lachlan Stewart MacLean VC 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 Commonwealth forces....
) and five men of the Guides, went under a heavy and close fire, to the rescue of a lieutenant of the Lancashire Fusiliers 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
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
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. ChermsideHerbert Chermside
Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Charles Chermside GCMG, CB was a British soldier who served as Governor of Queensland in Australia from 1902 to 1904.-Early life and education:...
in South Africa. He fought in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and was present at the Relief of Kimberley. In 1902, he raised and commanded Fincastle's Horse (31st Imperial Yeomanry
Imperial Yeomanry
The Imperial Yeomanry was a British volunteer cavalry regiment that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Officially created on 24 December 1899, the regiment was based on members of standing Yeomanry regiments, but also contained a large contingent of mid-upper class English volunteers. In...
), and earned a Mention in Despatches.
In 1906, Murray was awarded the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
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
Earl of Dunmore
Earl of Dunmore is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1686 for Lord Charles Murray, second son of John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl. He was made Lord Murray of Blair, Moulin and Tillimet and Viscount of Fincastle at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland. He was...
, becoming the ninth earl, and resigned his commission to look after the family's considerable estates. He returned to active duty in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, serving as a staff officer on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order during the Battle of the Somme, was Mentioned in Despatches four times and wounded twice.
Between the wars, Murray held political office, serving as a government whip in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
; first, as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms in 1924; and then as a Lord-in-Waiting
Lord-in-Waiting
Most Lords in Waiting are Government whips in the House of Lords who are members of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As members of the Royal Household their duties are nominal, though they are occasionally required to meet visiting political and state leaders on visits...
from 1930 to 1936. He also held the ceremonial role of Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
.
He died in London on 29 January 1962.
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 (b. 1904)
- Edward David Murray, Viscount Fincastle (1908–1940)
- Lady Mary Elizabeth Murray (b. 1913)
Further reading
- Monuments to CourageMonuments to CourageMonuments to Courage: Victoria Cross Monuments and Headstones is a two-volume book by David Harvey on the last resting places of 1,322 of the 1,350 recipients of the Victoria Cross. The 896 page book has over 5,000 illustrations and a large index enabling one to cross reference with ease. There is...
(David Harvey, 1999) - The Register of the Victoria CrossThe Register of the Victoria CrossThe Register of the Victoria Cross is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross ever awarded: it provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the awardee and the following details where applicable or available; rank, unit, other decorations, date of...
(This England, 1997) - Scotland's Forgotten ValourScotland's Forgotten ValourScotland's Forgotten Valour is a 1995 book by Graham Ross, published by MacLean Press under ISBN 1-899272-00-3. Scotland's Forgotten Valour is a 1995 book by Graham Ross, published by MacLean Press under ISBN 1-899272-00-3. Scotland's Forgotten Valour is a 1995 book by Graham Ross, published by...
(Graham Ross, 1995)
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Golders Green)