MURRAY – THE HON. ANDREW DAVID MURRAY
| Born: 1863/09/28 Rank: CAPTAIN (BREV LIEUT COLONEL) Regiment: CAMERON HIGHLANDERS – BREV.LIEUT.COL. GPS: |
Reason for death: KILLED IA Place of death: ZASTRON-QUAGGASFONTEIN/ELANDSKLOOF Date of death: 1901/09/20 Memorial: U.K., SCONE PALACE, PERTH (STEVE WATT – IN MEMORIAM) |
Note:
CAPT. MURRAY WAS THE SON OF WILLIAM DAVID MURRAY, VISCOUNT STORMONT AND EMILY LOUISA, COUNTESS OF MANSFIELD.
IN DECEMBER 1899, SHORTLY AFTER THE BATTLE OF MAGERSFONTEIN, LORD LOVAT
REQUESTED MAJOR MURRAY TO TAKE COMMAND OF A BODY OF SCOUTS WHICH WAS BEING RAISED IN THE HIGHLANDS.
LORD LOVATT RECORDED THAT IN SEPTEMBER 1901 THE LARGER PORTION OF LIEUT.-COLONEL
MURRAY’S COLUMN WAS DETACHED TO RELIEVE THE TOWN OF LADYGREY IN THE CAPE COLONY, AND WITH 100 MOUNTED MEN AND ONE GUN, HE HIMSELF WAS SENT TO WATCH A COUNTRY
KNOWN TO BE THE BASE OF SUPPLIES TO SOME 400 BOERS. THE MISSION WAS A DANGEROUS
ONE, AND ON THE SECOND NIGHT ON THE WITBERG, WHILE THE REMAINDER OF
THE COLUMN WAS APPROACHING AND WAS ALMOST WITHIN REACH, SOME 250 BOERS UNDER
KRITZINGER, ONE HOUR AFTER THE MOON HAD SET, CRAWLED BETWEEN HIS LINES AND
OVERWHELMED HIS LITTLE FORCE. TAKEN WHOLLY BY SURPRISE, HE BROKE THROUGH THE
BOER FIRE TO GET TO HIS MEN, AND AT ONCE REALISING THE POSITION, HE GOT THE MAXIM TO WORK, RALLIED THE MEN WHO HAD ESCAPED OUT OF THE LINES, AND AT LAST – FELL – FACING
HIS FOES, A BULLET THROUGH HIS HEART AND “NO SURRENDER” ON HIS LIPS.
IN HIS BOOK “IN THE SHADOW DEATH” GENERAL P.H. KRITZINGER DESCRIBES THE ACTION AS FOLLOWS:-
“IN A QUARTER OF AN HOUR ALL WAS OVER AND THE WHOLE CAMP TAKEN. TWO MAXIMS WERE DESTROYED AND AN ARMSTRONG WAS TAKEN ALONG WITH US. WHAT HAVOC WAS PLAYED IN THAT BRIEF QUARTER OF AN HOUR! THE WOUNDED MULES, HORSES AND MEN LAY GROANING SIDE BY SIDE. COLONEL MURRAY, CAPTAIN MURRAY, AND ALMOST ALL THE OTHER OFFICERS, FELL IN THE ACTION”.
