Private James Murray

Private James Murray, 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders. He was killed in action in France, aged 25, on the 1st July 1916 on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He had been born in Jedburgh and was the son of James and Annie Murray of 26 Canongate, Jedburgh and the husband of  Burns Murray of 31 Canongate, Jedburgh. He had been employed as a tailor in Jedburgh before enlisting in February 1915. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. He fell in the attack near Grandcourt where some of the objectives were taken before heavy losses and intense machine gun fire caused the attack to stall.12 Officers and 59 Other Ranks were killed and 6 Officers and 255 Other Ranks were wounded. In addition 53 Other Ranks were posted missing. ( Drummer Walter Ritchie of the Battalion won the Victoria Cross for his gallantry that day ). The first photo shows troops crossing a wide and coverless ” no mans land” on 1st July. The other photos show Scottish troops on the Somme. The final photo shows a peaceful Somme landscape today with ” no gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now”.