Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout

Pte William James Murdoch
 
Today, under a radiant sun, in serene silence, grow on the old battlefields and between the rows of graves, poppies, roses and daffodils which bloom in peace, fragile and delicate but whose colors illuminate the names of a whole generation of men who, like these flowers, young and proud, served their country with honor and loyalty and who, in the trenches and battlefields of the Somme, fought and fell with the greatest of bravery in the prime of life and which, together, side by side as they were over a hundred years ago, today rest in peace on the soils of France for which they have done so much. Gone but not forgotten, they still stand proudly among the cemeteries and poppy fields, in the peace for which they gave their lives, their everything so that we can live today and remember them so that what they were, what they did and the sacrifices they paid, for their country, for France, for humanity, are never forgotten and live forever in each of us.

Today, it is with the greatest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who, alongside his comrades, fought and gave his today for our tomorrow, I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 3830 William James Murdoch who served in the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of his wounds 104 years ago, on April 2, 1917 at the age of 20 on the Somme front.
William James Murdoch was born in 1897 in Toowoomba, Queensland, and was the son of James and Elizabeth Murdoch, of Bridge Street, Oakey, Queensland, Australia.William was educated at State School, Queensland and before the outbreak of the war he worked as a barber and served four months in the Australian Militia.

Enlisted on August 2, 1915 at Toowoomba, Queensland, in the 9th Australian Infantry Battalion, 12th reinforcement,the 9th Battalion was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the first world war. It was the first battalion recruited in Queensland, and with the 10th, 11th and 12th Battalions it formed the 3rd Brigade.on December 30, 1915, William embarked with his unit from Brisbane, Queensland, on board HMAT A50 Itonus and sailed for Zeitoun, Egypt, where he arrived on February 29, 1916 and was sent to the 3rd Training Battalion then was transferred the same day to the 49th Australian Infantry battalion in Tel-El-Kébir.

Four months later, after intensive training in the heat of Egypt, on June 5, 1916, William joined the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) in Alexandria where he embarked with his battalion on board Arcadian for France where he was disembarked seven days later, on June 12 then sent to the battlefields and muddy trenches of the Somme where he fought with great courage and coolness.Arriving in France on 12 June 1916,William and the 49th Battalion moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 21 June. It fought in its first major battle at Mouquet Farm,Pozieres,Somme, in August and suffered heavily, particularly in the assault launched on September 3.

Four months later, on January 21, 1917, William, for having been absent without leave from a parade, was awarded 21 days in prison but two days later, on January 23, he fell ill and was sent to the hospital suffering from mumps and a month later,on February 13, was admitted to the 14th Stationary Hospital of Boulogne.Two weeks later, on February 26, 1917, after recovering, William went to Etaples and joined the 49th battalion in the front line in the Somme on March 12.Unfortunately, a month later, on April 2, 1917, it was not far from the Somme, in Noreuil, Pas-De-Calais, that William met his fate and was seriously wounded.

In late February of 1917, the German Army in northern France retreated to the Hindenburg Line in order to shorten its line and thereby establish a more defensible position. British and dominion troops immediately followed-up this withdrawal. In order to delay their advance, and provide time for the Hindenburg Line defences to be fully prepared and manned, the Germans fortified numerous villages and towns on the approaches to the Hindenburg Line and established rearguards in them. Noreuil was one of these villages. It was attacked by the 50th and 51st Battalions, with the 49th and 52nd in support, on the morning of 2 April. Attacking to the north of the Noreuil, the men of the 51st advanced quickly past it and discovered a previously unknown, but unoccupied, trench between them and their objective - a sunken road to the east of the village.
Encountering machine-gun fire from the Noreuil, now behind them, they halted in the trench. The 50th, hooking through the village from the south, had encountered much heavier opposition. The parties detailed to "mop-up" the village proved too weak and were captured, allowing the Germans to attack the troops that had passed beyond it from the rear. Only after the battalion reserves were committed to the battle was the 50th able to secure positions to the south of the 51st. The sunken road, however, remained in German hands and was not occupied until they withdrew in the early hours of 3 April.

Unfortunately, it was during the attack of April 2, 1917, when William and the 49th Battalion were in support of the 50th and 51st Battalion that he was seriously injured in the legs by a gun shot and was evacuated to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station in Pozieres, Somme, suffering from gun shot wound with compound fracture of the legs but his injuries were such that he died shortly after his admission despite the efforts of the medical officers who did all in their power for him.He was 20 years old.

Today, William James Murdoch rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La-Boisselle, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "In memory of the dearly loved son of Mr and Mrs Murdoch of Oakey ".

William, you who were so young but already so brave and full of will in life as you were alongside your comrades in the mud of the trenches of northern France and on the battlefields on which flowed the blood of a whole generation of men through the poppies who, with bravery and perseverance, moved forward together, side by side under machine gun fire whose lead hails mowed down, through shell holes and barbed wire so many young men who served with pride for their country, for France, all united for freedom and justice,together, alongside their friends, their comrades, in the darkness of a world at war, they fought in terrible conditions, under the constant fire of the artillery which, through the infernal whistle of the shells tearing the sky, pounded every meter of land in terrible explosions destroying everything in their path.Under this hell, these men who were so young and brave had nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape from these steel rains that pulverized so many lives and hopes and in the strength of unity and of the comradeship, of the friendship that united them in the trenches, they stood admirably and faced side by side the firestorms and thunderstorms of steel which incessantly rained down around them and broke their ranks in horrible bloodbaths.Under the deadly gases, in clouds of gunpowder, their faces under their gas masks, without any visibility and breathing with difficulty, they held their positions, every meter, every trenches with the courage and the hearts of lions who served with honor, devotion and loyalty and all gave their all, their today through the worst horrors of a world at war which tried to destroy them mentally and physically but in the face of the death that surrounded them, they always kept a sense of admirable humor and an intact faith in peace, in the future of humanity and in heroic but murderous assaults, they moved forward with determination and conviction knowing that they were fighting for just and noble causes, for their country and their families for whom, in the hell of the battlefields, with the greatest bravery a man can show, they gave their lives so that we can live today.Young and united forever alongside their comrades and brothers in arms under the ranks of their white tombs, under the sun and in our hearts, they will never cease to live and to be remembered and on these soils of France on which they did so much and gave so much, the memory and history of these men will always be maintained and kept alive with the greatest care.They were young and through the fields of poppies swaying in the wind, they still stand proudly to remind us who they were and what they did for us and with care, with the highest respect, with gratitude, I would watch on each of them as if they were my brothers, my fathers. Forever in my highest esteem they are and will be forever, my heroes, my boys of the Somme.Thank you so much William,with all my heart,for everything.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.