The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (NX33361) Private Richard Murray, Headquarters AIF Malaya, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

Places
Accession Number AWM2021.1.1.201
Collection type Film
Object type Last Post film
Physical description 16:9
Maker Australian War Memorial
Place made Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Campbell
Date made 20 July 2021
Access Open
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Copying Provisions Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Description

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (NX33361) Private Richard Murray, Headquarters AIF Malaya, Second Australian Imperial Force, Second World War.

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Speech transcript

NX33361 Private Richard Murray, Headquarters AIF Malaya, Second Australian Imperial Force
Executed 20 May 1945

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Richard Murray.

Richard Murray was born on 28 November 1914 in Lanarkshire, Scotland, the son of Frank and Catherine Murray. As a young man he emigrated to Australia, where he worked as a labourer and fought as a welterweight boxer. In 1934 he married Margaret Brooks in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville. The couple went on to have a son, Frank.

Murray enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force on 12 August 1940. His early service was marked by a series of indiscretions, such as being absent without leave and using insubordinate language, for which he was punished. Originally posted to the 2/19th Battalion, he later served with the 22nd Brigade Headquarters. He was popular with his unit, and was closest with Private Keith Botterill.

Following Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941 the units of the 8th Division were involved in fierce fighting against the Japanese forces on the Malayan peninsula. On 14 February 1942 Commonwealth forces in Malaya were forced to surrender, and Private Murray was among the 45,000 British and Australian troops who became prisoners of war.

He was initially held at Changi prisoner-of-war camp, but the Japanese soon called for working parties to build and expand new infrastructure across their empire. Murray joined a couple of working parties, and in July volunteered to join B Force, which left for Borneo in July 1942. Assured of better food and conditions, the almost 1,500 members of B Force found themselves on a hellish sea journey, crammed into the cargo holds of the Ubi Maru for 11 days before arriving at Sandakan.

Conditions at Sandakan soon devolved into some of the worst experienced by prisoners of the Japanese. Prisoners, including the sick, were forced at gunpoint to work on the construction of a military airstrip, and were often beaten by their captors. Illness and death ravaged the camp, and food was scarce.

The completed airfield was soon beset by Allied aircraft bombing, and between January and March 1945 those prisoners who could be made to walk were forced into a series of marches west to Ranau – a distance of around 260 kilometres. Murray was among the 455 fittest prisoners forced into undertaking the first march.

The journey was horrendous. The Japanese guards refused to let the prisoners rest, and those too sick or weak to continue were left behind to die or executed by the guards. Murray placed himself at the rear to help those who fell behind and to support those who were struggling. Just 309 men made it to Ranau, including Private Murray.

The Ranau camp provided no shelter, and with little to no food the rate of deaths among the prisoners rose daily. Murray and his mate Botterill began to volunteer for rice-carrying parties, taking each opportunity to steal extra rations for the prisoners. In April 1945 a seriously ill Botterill began to give up hope. Murray refused to allow this, and dragged him outside, doggedly forcing him to keep going.

The next month Murray, Botterill, and a handful of other prisoners found a food store, and smuggled some rice back to the camp. On the 20th of May the guards discovered the stolen food, and lined up the 30 surviving prisoners, demanding a confession. In order to save his mates from reprisals, Murray stepped forward and claimed responsibility. He was taken away and executed by the guards. He was 30 years old.

Botterill was devastated by his friend’s death, but rallied enough to escape the camp. He was one of only six Sandakan prisoners to survive the war.

After the war a recovery team was able to identify Murray’s remains, and he was buried at the Labuan War Cemetery in Malaysia. In 1996 a headstone was placed on his grave, bearing the epitaph: “He stepped forward to sacrifice his life for his mates. Lest we forget.”

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 others from the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Richard Murray, and all those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.

Christina Zissis
Editor, Military History Section

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