Private George Murray

Private George Murray, 11th ( Service ) Battalion, Royal Scots. He was killed in action in France, aged 19, on the 25th September 1915 on the first day of the Battle of Loos. He had been born in Selkirk in 1896 and was the son of the late Isabella Murray and William Murray of Enfield Cottage, Selkirk. He is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, Dud Corner, Loos, France. The Battalion was part of the 9th ( Scottish ) Division and he fell in the attack towards the German positions in Haisnes. The attack was only partially successful and in the face of strong German counter attacks some retirements had to be made. Casualties were heavy with 5 Officers and 370 Other Ranks killed or wounded. This day was the first time the British Army had used gas and the photo shows troops advancing through a ghostly cloud of gas and smoke. The second photo shows the village of Loos after its capture. The artist’s nightmarish illustration attempts to depict an attack at Loos with troops wearing their gas hoods.