Private Alexander Murray

Private Alexander Murray, 1st/6th Battalion, Black Watch. He was killed in action in France on 23rd April 1917,aged 28, during the Battle of Arras and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial. He was the son of  Robert and the late Mary Murray and the husband of Maggie Murray of ” Hillview ” Denholm.  Before enlisting in 1916 he had been a gamekeeper with Captain Fyfe- Jamieson of Cavers. He had originally enlisted in the Scottish Horse Yeomanry but was posted firstly to the 4th/5th Black Watch and finally to the 6th Black Watch. He fell in the attack on the German positions near ” Greenland Hill ” The front line trenches were captured but further advance proved impossible due to enfilading machine guns and the captured ground was consolidated. This action cost the Battalion 5 Officers and 25 Other Ranks killed with 4 Officers and 123 Other Ranks wounded. In addition 48 Other Ranks were posted missing. In Great War parlance ” missing ” usually meant killed.   The photograph shows the Memorial erected to the 51st  ( Highland ) Division of which the Battalion was part. It was erected in Newfoundland Park on the Somme overlooking “Y” Ravine which was taken when the Division stormed and captured the very strong German positions in Beaumont Hamel on 13th November 1916 A plaque in Gaelic on the Memorial reads ” Friends Are Good On The Day Of Battle “. The other photos show troops during the Battle.