On the Portsmouth Naval Memorial is the name of SS 102034 Leading Stoker John Thomas Murray, serving on H.M.S. Good Hope with the Royal Navy who died 01/11/1914.
The son of Joseph and Mary Elizabeth Murray, of 8, William Street, Lintz Green Colliery, Burnopfield, Co. Durham. He was a Serjeant in the “Legion of Frontiersmen.” He was Honorary Secretary and Organizing Officer of North West Durham sub-unit of “Legion of Frontiersmen.”.
John Thomas Murray was born at North Shields on the 25th May 1886, the eldest son of Joseph Murray, of 8 William Street, Lintz Colliery, Burnopfield, formerly 3rd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, and his wife Mary Elizabeth.
He was also Sergeant No. 5664 in the Legion of Frontiersman. John was educated at the Leazes Board School, where he was one of the most brilliant scholars turned out by its headmaster, Mr Abbott, J.P., who said that his late scholar “was a credit and reward of many hours of anxious of toil”. He was in the Tanfield U.D. then afterwards employed at the Lintz Colliery.
He joined the Royal Navy on the 10th June 1906, his first ships in rotation, Nelson, (in which he won a Gold Cross Guns and Gold Star), Brazen Albermarle Prince of Wales Cressy and the submarine A.E.1. Then Glasgow and lastly in 1906, the Good Hope.
He was on this ship when she made her record cruise of 30,000 miles, also when she formed one of the squadron representing England at the Jamestown Exposition. John was one of the crew presented by Princess Christian with a shield, on behalf of the women of South Africa, and one of he Guard of Honour to the German Emperor in 1908.
After leaving the Navy he joined the Legion of Frontiersmen in December 1911, the commanding officer, Colonel Driscoll, D.S.O., writing to Sergeant-Major Harding of Sunderland, Use this man, he will be a credit to you, he is an ideal Frontiersman.
He was not long in being made Trooper, Corporal then finally Sergeant, he organised the North West Durham sub unit of the Legion, becoming its Chief Recruiting and Organising Officer and Honourable Secretary.
On the outbreak of War he re-joined the ‘Good Hope’ , and was killed in action when that ship was sunk with H.M.S. Monmouth in the battle off Coronel, Sunday, 1st November 1914. He was unmarried.
John also had the Good Conduct badge, the St John’s Ambulance Certificate, and had a good knowledge of French, Spanish, Hindustani and Zulu, also possessed a certificate in mining engineering, and had taken a deep interest in ornithology and history.
Source: De Ruvigny Roll of Honour
John Thomas Murray is remembered at Burnopfield on B155.01 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
