Photo: Brian Chandler
T.S.W. Murdie,
Royal Air Force
3rd February 1944 age 23
Deep in our hearts a memory
of a son we loved
and will never forget
Mother, sister and brother.
Simon Glancey has submitted the following:
The Morpeth Herald and Reporter Friday 14/02/1944 had the following announcement:
“Deaths
Murdie, Ashington 73½ Poplar Street (died at Newark General Hospital), 3rd Inst., aged 23 years, L.A.C. Thomas Sidney Walker (R.A.F.), beloved son of Margaret Elizabeth Murdie. Was interred at Ashington Churchyard, Wednesday, 9th Feb., 1944.”
Shaun Noble has contributed the following, found in Newark's Air War by Trevor Franknall, researched by the author and Shaun Noble:
"ASHINGTON HOLY SEPULCHRE CHURCHYARD. America’s first impact on Balderton. The first public acknowledgement that the Yanks were in RAF Balderton as well as Bottesford came when RAFVR Aircraftman 632298 Thomas Sydney Walker Murdie, 23, was knocked down and killed in Spring Lane, Balderton by a Jeep driven by Joe Lee Blenkinship, “of the US Army Air Force”. Joe told the subsequent inquest he had been temporarily blinded by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle and had not seen any pedestrians. Joe failed to stop and report the accident. Inquest verdict - accident. Spring Lane led from the main RAF Balderton base to the Sergeants' and other ranks’ mess halls. RCAF 408 Sqn left on the 2/2/44 to be replaced by the USAAF 437th Troop Carrier Group which had started to arrive in January."
He is remembered in Ashington on A17.01 (A17.27); in Hirst on H62.02 and H62.04 and in RAF Book of Remembrance page 75
