Roy James MURRAY

MURRAY, Roy James

Service Numbers: 61, 61A, V91147
Enlisted: 3 August 1915
Last Rank: Corporal
Last Unit: 4th Field Ambulance
Born: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 24 July 1898
Home Town: Ballarat, Central Highlands, Victoria
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Salesman
Died: Illness after being a POW, 115th Australian General Hospital (Heidelberg), Melbourne, Australia, 15 February 1945, aged 46 years
Cemetery: Springvale War Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

3 Aug 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 61, 3rd Pioneer Battalion
9 Mar 1916: Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 11th Field Ambulance
6 Jun 1916: Involvement Private, 61, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: ''
6 Jun 1916: Embarked Private, 61, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne
23 Mar 1918: Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 4th Field Ambulance
10 Jul 1919: Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 61A, 4th Field Ambulance, 3rd MD

World War 2 Service

3 Sep 1939: Involvement Corporal, V91147
4 Dec 1940: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Corporal, V91147

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Biography contributed by Evan Evans

From How We Served
 
The final resting place for; - 61 & V91147 Corporal Roy James Murray of Ballarat West and East Kew, Victoria, who prior to his enlistment for War Service on the 3rd of August 1915 had been employed as a salesman.

Roy was allocated to the 3rd Pioneers 1st AIF, and was embarked for England and further training on the 6th of June 1916. Following his safe arrival on the 20th of July, Roy entered camp for his final phase of instructions before being sent to France where he was disembarked in late November.

Having arrived in France, Roy was soon transferred from the Pioneers to the Australian Mary Medical Corps, and was taken on strength with the 11th Field Ambulance on the 22nd of December. Roy’s service in the trenches would be continuous, and aside a short respite of Leave to England between the end of January, and the start of February 1918, he would remain on duty with his Unit.

On the 23rd of March, Roy was transferred to the 13th Field Ambulance, and again his service in the field would be continuous. Roy would be evacuated for hospitalization due to sickness on the 11th of May, but after a week of medical care, he was back in the trenches, and would remain in France for the rest of the War.

With the Armistice now signed, ending hostilities on the 11th of November, Roy was again granted Leave to England, and would be away from his Unit during December, following which he was returned to France.
On the 4th of March 1919, Roy began his repatriation back to Australia, departing France for England, and from their he embarked for Melbourne on the 28th of March.

Following his return to Australia from the War, Roy was granted his official discharge from the 1st AIF for his re-entry into civilian life on the 10th of July 1919.
With the outbreak of a Second World War, Roy again presented himself for enlistment with the Australian Military Forces on the 4th of December 1940, and was accepted for full-time duty within Australia.

Roy was originally allocated to the 9th Garrison Battalion, with which he served with before being transferred to the Australian Army Dental Corps on the 13th of May 1943. Roy’s service would be again continuous until he was evacuated sick to the 115th Australian General Hospital (Heidelberg) at the start of February 1945.

Roy was still being hospitalized when he succumbed to sickness on the 15th of February 1945, at the premature age of 46.

Following his passing, Corporal Roy Murray, a veteran of the ‘Great War’, and who had chosen to serve Australia during a second world conflict, was formally laid to rest within Springvale War Cemetery, Victoria.

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