Murray William James Bourchier CMG DSO VD (1881 - 1937)

Born 4 Apr 1881 in Pootilla, Victoria (Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Minona Frances (Madden) Bourchier — married 16 Jun 1921 in Victoria, Australia

Died 16 Dec 1937 at age 56 in Kensington, London, England

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Biography

Murray Bourchier CMG DSO VD is Notable.

Brigadier Sir Murray Bourchier CMG DSO VD was an Australian soldier, farmer, parliamentarian and diplomat; a veteran of Gallipoli, Sinai, Beersheba and the Light Horse. His parliamentary career included service as Deputy Premier of Victoria; followed by a brief term as Agent General to London, prior to his sudden death.

LT COL Murray Bourchier

Murray William James Bourchier was born on 4th April 1881 in Pootilla, Victoria (Australia). He was the eldest son of Edward Bourchier and Frances 'Fanny' Cope, owners of the Woodland Park property near Strathmerton, Victoria. ^[1] He was educated privately in Melbourne and afterwards worked at Woodland Park. ^[2]

Murray Bourchier CMG DSO VD is an Anzac who served in World War One.

Murray commanded a Citizens' Military Forces light horse troop at Numurkah, Victoria from 1909 to 1914. At the outbreak of The Great War he was commissioned into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and attached to the 4th Light Horse Regiment. He served with the regiment in the Gallipoli, Egyptian, Sinai, Palestine and Syrian Campaigns. He was promoted to Captain in July 1915 and Major in January 1916; at that time appointed to command 'A' Squadron. Murray was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 15th March 1917 and given command of the 4th Light Horse Regiment. On 31st October 1917 he led the 4th and 12th Regiments in the four-mile charge against Turkish positions at the Battle of Beersheba, capturing fifteen of the seventeen wells intact and taking over 700 prisoners. A fortnight later he was appointed Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). ^[3]

In September 1918, Murray again commanded a joint force of the 4th and 12th Regiments ("Bourchier's Force") in the final advance on Damascus, capturing 12,000 Turks. For this service, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) on 3rd June 1919. ^[4] He took temporary command of 4th Light Horse Brigade in November–December 1918 while Brigadier William Grant was in temporary command of the ANZAC Mounted Division. During the war, Murray was Mentioned in Despatches, equivalent to today's Commendation for Gallantry, on three occasions. ^[2] For his war service he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Murray was a farmer

After the war, Murray returned to his farm near Strathmerton, Victoria, but was soon farming a property at Katandra, which he named Kuneitra. He remained an officer in the Citizens' Military Forces, becoming Colonel in Command of the 5th Cavalry Brigade in 1921 and Brigadier in Command of the 2nd Cavalry Division in 1931. ^[2]

Murray was a parliamentarian and diplomat over 17 years

Murray was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1920, representing the Victorian Farmers' Union in the electoral district of Goulburn Valley. He was re-elected as a Country Party candidate in 1921 and re-elected (unopposed) several times until his resignation in 1936. He was deputy leader of the Country Party in 1927–30, leader in 1933–35 and deputy leader again in 1935-36. He served as Minister of Agriculture and Markets, Chief Secretary, Minister of Labour, and Deputy Premier of Victoria. ^[5]

On 16th June 1921 in the Holy Trinity Church, Kew, Victoria, Murray married Minona Madden, daughter of politician Sir Frank Madden and niece of Sir John Madden.^[6] They had a daughter and two sons. ^[2]

Following his exemplary parliamentary career, Murray was appointed Victorian Agent General to London. As such, he represented Victoria at the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. ^[2]

He passed away from pernicious anaemia and cancer on 16th December 1937 in Kensington, London. ^[7]

Murray Bourchier was created Knight Bachelor, posthumously, in January 1938. Bourchier Street in Shepparton, Victoria, is named in his honour. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #7476/1881; registered at Bungendore
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Wikipedia profile: Murray Bourchier; accessed 23 Feb 2020
3. ↑ Australian Honours: DSO; accessed 23 Feb 2020
4. ↑ Australian Honours: CMG
5. ↑ Watson, Don. 'Bourchier, Sir Murray William James (1881–1937)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1979; accessed online 24 Feb 2020
6. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #3941/1921
7. ↑ UK FreeBMD Death Index Dec qtr 1937, vol 1a, page 160