Studio portrait of Major (Maj) John Joesph Murray, MC. He embarked with his brother, 2097 Private ...

Studio portrait of Major (Maj) John Joesph Murray, MC. He embarked with his brother, 2097 Private Thomas Frederick Murray (later killed in action on Gallipoli) with the 1st Battalion aboard HMAT Ceramic (A40) from Sydney on 25 June 1915. In March 1916 he transferred to the 53rd Battalion and was promoted to Temporary Captain (Capt). Capt Murray was awarded the Military Cross on 14 December 1916 for his actions as company commander at the battle of Fromelles. In June 1917 he was promoted to Major (Maj) and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 1 February 1919. Surviving the war, Maj Murray returned to Australia and remained active in the Citizen's Military Forces (CMF), where he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) in 1925. By February 1940 he headed the Eastern Command Recruit Training Depot before joining the AIF in April, initially with the rank of Brigadier and service number NX365. He commanded the 20th Brigade at the Battle of Tobruk and for his command during the seige was awarded a bar to his DSO. He returned to Australia in January 1942 and commanded the Newcastle Covering Force and later the 4th Division in order to defend Australia against the increasing threat from Japanese forces. During this time he was assigned the rank of temporary Major General (Maj Gen), becoming his substantive rank in September 1942. His final active command post was with the Northern Territory Force from March 1945 until January 1946. Maj Gen Murray retired from service in 1946 after 31 years in the military.