Cpl
Winsleigh Alexander Murray
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1885 |
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Place of birth: North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Clergyman |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Corporal |
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Service number: 3170 |
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Enlistment date: 01/05/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Lambton, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 35th Bn. (Newcastle's Own Regiment) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Moorslede, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 32 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: II Row: B Grave: 4 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal — 12/06/1923 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Corporal Winsleigh Alexander Murray served in the Australian Infantry 35th Battalion, part of the 9th Brigade, of the 3rd Division.
On the 12th of October 1917 the 3rd Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele. The Division advanced with two brigades, the 9th and 10th. The attack of the 9th Brigade was carried by the 34th and 35th Battalion and had two main objectives. They would first secure the area until after Augustus Wood and then they would try and capture Passchendaele village.
At 5.25 am the 34th Battalion started to advance in total confusion due to the heavy German shelling of the jumping-off lines. Not soon after, the 35th Battalion joined the attack. Together they moved on towards the first objective. On their way, the 35th Battalion was able to overrun Defy Crossing, Hillside Farm and Augustus Wood.
When the 35th had consolidated its first objective, they moved along the Passchendaele road towards the village itself, in front of which lay their second objective. Patrols entered the village and found it abandoned. However, they were not able to secure it as they were quickly forced to retreat. At around 3 pm, both Battalions were pushed back past Augustus Wood and they eventually arrived close to where they had initially started.
Several witness reports in Corporal Murray’s Red Cross Wounded and Missing File state that he was hit in the buttocks after they had passed the first objective. They claim he was lying in a shell hole and refused to be carried by the stretch bearers as there were other men that were more badly wounded. When the Battalions were forced to retreat, the wounded were left behind. For some while, Corporal Murray was listed as missing in action and presumably killed in action, but after the war his body was found in Moorslede. Corporal Winsleigh Alexander Murray was probably taken prisoner during the German counterattack and was brought back behind German lines, where he presumably died of his wounds. He was buried east of the village of Morrslede, together with an unknown Australian and Canadian soldier. After the war his remains were exhumed and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
On the 12th of October 1917 the 3rd Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele. The Division advanced with two brigades, the 9th and 10th. The attack of the 9th Brigade was carried by the 34th and 35th Battalion and had two main objectives. They would first secure the area until after Augustus Wood and then they would try and capture Passchendaele village.
At 5.25 am the 34th Battalion started to advance in total confusion due to the heavy German shelling of the jumping-off lines. Not soon after, the 35th Battalion joined the attack. Together they moved on towards the first objective. On their way, the 35th Battalion was able to overrun Defy Crossing, Hillside Farm and Augustus Wood.
When the 35th had consolidated its first objective, they moved along the Passchendaele road towards the village itself, in front of which lay their second objective. Patrols entered the village and found it abandoned. However, they were not able to secure it as they were quickly forced to retreat. At around 3 pm, both Battalions were pushed back past Augustus Wood and they eventually arrived close to where they had initially started.
Several witness reports in Corporal Murray’s Red Cross Wounded and Missing File state that he was hit in the buttocks after they had passed the first objective. They claim he was lying in a shell hole and refused to be carried by the stretch bearers as there were other men that were more badly wounded. When the Battalions were forced to retreat, the wounded were left behind. For some while, Corporal Murray was listed as missing in action and presumably killed in action, but after the war his body was found in Moorslede. Corporal Winsleigh Alexander Murray was probably taken prisoner during the German counterattack and was brought back behind German lines, where he presumably died of his wounds. He was buried east of the village of Morrslede, together with an unknown Australian and Canadian soldier. After the war his remains were exhumed and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Sources 5
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35th Australian Field Artillery Brigade, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/52/4). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Further reference |
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Australian War Memorial. Red Cross Wounded and Missing https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1495450/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, MURRAY W A). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 113-115. Sources used |
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Palazzo A., Defenders of Australia. The Third Australian Division. 1916-1991 (Loftus, Australian Military History Publications, 2002), pg. 36-41. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480375 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5276494b-b092-43f0-acbe-752480fb30ad |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7523344 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=219632 |