The information and photos below relating to Henry Murray, one of the casualties of World War 1 named on Heddon War Memorial, were kindly provided by Helen Murray-Holmes and Henry Murray. I am very pleased that the family have allowed me to reproduce some of their extensive research here.
Henry’s Family & Life
Henry Murray, August 1917.
Joseph Murray was born in 1869 in Callerton Fell, High Callerton, Ponteland, Northumberland the exact property may have been Fell House, Birney Hill. He lived and worked in Ponteland as a joiner. Joseph met Alice Reed who may also have lived in Ponteland; she was born in 1872. Alice was christened at St. Andrews, Newcastle upon Tyne, it has not been possible to find out where St. Andrews was; perhaps Heddon-on-the-Wall? Alice was a shopkeeper and her father was William Akenhead Reed. Joseph and Alice were married on 11th June 1892 at St. Georges Church, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Joseph and Alice’s first child was a daughter Elsie Alice; she was born in 1893. The family were still living in Ponteland but it has not been possible to find out exactly where.
Joseph and Alice’s first child was a daughter Elsie Alice; she was born in 1893. The family were still living in Ponteland but it has not been possible to find out exactly where.
Alice Murray, Joseph Murray & Elsie Alice Murray. Possibly taken outside their home in Callerton, Ponteland, Northumberland.
Sometime following the birth of Elsie Alice the family moved to 52 Rodsley Avenue, Gateshead. It was here that their second child Joseph was born. Joseph was born on the 8th October 1896 and christened on 4th November 1896 in Christ Church, Gateshead. Their second son Henry was also born at this address in April 1898, he was christened on the 4th May 1898 also at Christ Church, Gateshead.
By the time of the 1901 Census the family were all living at 11 Heworth Within, Gateshead. This address no longer exists but we know it was in the Parish of Windy Nook, St. Alban.
By the time of the 1901 Census the family were all living at 11 Heworth Within, Gateshead. This address no longer exists but we know it was in the Parish of Windy Nook, St. Alban.
By the 1911 Census the family were living in Winship Buildings, Heddon on the Wall (it may have been Ovington as the parish of Heddon on the Wall covered a large area). The Census lists Joseph, Alice, Joseph and Henry. At this time Elsie Alice was 17 years old and had moved to her employers’ home. Elsie Alice was employed as a Nursemaid/Domestic for Mr and Mrs Walter Bookless of 9 Grosvenor Place, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. The Bookless family may have been relatives of Bookless, a well-known game dealer and fruiterer in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Elsie Alice married Jonathan Craven in Castle Ward, Ponteland in July/August/September 1918. Elsie Alice and Jonathan (AKA Jonna) had four children, William, Rennie, Dennis and Muriel. Elsie died in Bridge of Allan, Scotland in 1982 aged 89 years.
Joseph Junior (aged 17) was in the Territorial Army and when war was declared in 1914 - he volunteered for service. Joseph was in the East Lancashire Territorial Army Battalion. Joseph survived the war; his only physical injury was a piece of shrapnel in his eye however he suffered greatly for the rest of his life with post-traumatic stress.
When he returned he met Margaret Tweddell (born on 22nd October 1901 in Newburn, Northumberland). Margaret was the daughter of Anthony Tweddell (Foreman at Throckley Brickworks) and Elizabeth nee Simpson. Joseph and Margaret were married in Heddon on the Wall on 11th October 1925 and had three children, Delia and twins, Irene and Henry. Joseph and Margaret lived for a short time in Throckley and then Military Road, Heddon on the Wall. After the war, Joseph ran the family building business in Heddon on the Wall until his retirement. Joseph died in 1972 aged 76.
Joseph Junior (aged 17) was in the Territorial Army and when war was declared in 1914 - he volunteered for service. Joseph was in the East Lancashire Territorial Army Battalion. Joseph survived the war; his only physical injury was a piece of shrapnel in his eye however he suffered greatly for the rest of his life with post-traumatic stress.
When he returned he met Margaret Tweddell (born on 22nd October 1901 in Newburn, Northumberland). Margaret was the daughter of Anthony Tweddell (Foreman at Throckley Brickworks) and Elizabeth nee Simpson. Joseph and Margaret were married in Heddon on the Wall on 11th October 1925 and had three children, Delia and twins, Irene and Henry. Joseph and Margaret lived for a short time in Throckley and then Military Road, Heddon on the Wall. After the war, Joseph ran the family building business in Heddon on the Wall until his retirement. Joseph died in 1972 aged 76.
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Henry enlisted with The Royal Field Artillery as a driver – he was 16 years old. He returned home in 1917, we know this as the frontispiece photograph of him was taken professionally by Winfield’s, 161 Northumberland Street, Newcastle upon Tyne and is dated on the reverse August 1917.
Role of a Driver in the Royal Field Artillery.
Henry fell in The Somme, France and we know from war records that he died on the 26th August 1918 at map reference: 57d.X.23.b.1.7, just weeks before the end of the war aged of 20. His details at death were: ‘D’ Battery, 108th Brigade. Also from war records, we know that his body was found and buried on 27th August 1918. His grave Plot 9.I.7 was marked with a cross at Cross Roads Cemetery Bazentin-le-Grand. According to war records no effects were forwarded to base.
Henry’s body was exhumed and re-buried on 7th August 1919 in Plot IX.I.7, Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz. Map reference: 57c.S.14.c.5.3 Stone No.1285. This we can confirm is Henry’s final resting place.
Henry’s body was exhumed and re-buried on 7th August 1919 in Plot IX.I.7, Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz. Map reference: 57c.S.14.c.5.3 Stone No.1285. This we can confirm is Henry’s final resting place.
 Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz. |  Commonwealth War Grave of Henry Murray, Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz. |
The family received Henry’s Victory Medal, The British Medal and the Dead Man’s Penny as well as the King’s letter. Henry’s name is recorded on the War Memorial at Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland.
 Henry Murray's Allied Victory Medal ('Wilfred') and British War Medal ('Squeak'). |  The Dead Man’s Penny: Henry Murray. |  The King's Letter. |
Little is known of Henry, however, we can assume that he led the life of a healthy, happy country boy, making the most of his time and attending school. There is no evidence to suggest that the family were in any way needy and we know through family anecdotes that Joseph and Henry owned and rode a pony as well as owning a family dog called Prince (Black Flat Coated Retriever type). The photographs remaining show the family well dressed and confidently posed outside their home – most likely either Fell House, Birney Hill or High Callerton, Ponteland, Northumberland.
 Henry Murray's last letter home |  7th January 1918. |
Henry’s life was short; however it will be remembered through the generations. Joseph Junior and Margaret’s son Henry, born 19th June 1928, is the last of the Murray line. Henry lives in Heddon on the Wall with his second wife Dorothy, nee Colston. Henry and Dorothy had a son Andrew Richard born 23 June 1965 who died on the 11th March 2010. Henry had a daughter, Helen Jane, with his first wife Mary Jane, nee Atkinson. Helen Jane was born on 11th July 1953. Helen Jane will carry the memory of Henry forward with her sons William Joseph and Alexander Wheldon. Alexander serves in the Army Reserves 101 Northumbrian Regiment, Royal Artillery. In 2012 he volunteered for and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
We will remember them.
Henry Murray
Helen Murray-Holmes
November 2014
We will remember them.
Henry Murray
Helen Murray-Holmes
November 2014
Uncle Harry his life and times – a brief history by his nephew Henry Murray
Alice Murray and the family dog, 'Prince', possibly taken outside the family home in Callerton, Ponteland, Northumberland.
Joseph Senior my grandfather; was a skilled stonemason and joiner who worked in the Murray family business in Ponteland. Alice Reed who was to become his wife owned a greengrocers shop in Benton. Joseph and Alice married and lived in Ponteland for a while then moved to Gateshead, Heworth and Ovington before moving to Heddon on the Wall sometime after 1911. They had a daughter Elsie Alice and two sons, Joseph and Henry. Joseph and Henry attended Heddon on the Wall School and on leaving (aged 14) both boys joined the family business, which was run by my grandfather Joseph Senior.
Joseph and Henry’s Pony.
WW1 broke out in 1914 and both Joseph and Henry joined the army taking “The King’s Shilling”. Uncle Harry was in the Royal Field Artillery “D” Battery 108th Brigade; following a period of training he went to France, he sadly fell weeks before the end of WW1. Some of Harry’s personal items were sent back from France, but it is difficult to remember exactly what. I remember a broken Royal Field Artillery cap badge but not really anything else. I believe that the family received a pension for the loss of Uncle Harry but have no documentation to support this.
Royal Field Artillery Cap Badge.
I was born 10 years after the end of WW1 and Uncle Harry’s death. However, it was not until a further 10 years on that I started to understand the human tragedy of this terrible period in history and to realise the very personal effect it had upon a bereaved family. The sadness and shock to the family was to be endured the rest of their lives.
My grandmother (Alice) known as Nana; wished that when I was christened that I be named Henry in memory of her lost son. Uncle Henry like me was called Harry so I have a close affinity with him. My Nana shared many hours talking about him with me. Perhaps in some way I made up for the loss of Harry. Over the years my Nana and I became very close, sharing moments of sadness and happiness. I remember my Nana to be an avid reader, she suffered from asthma, was of small stature and shaky in her later years. My Nana died in the middle bedroom of the family home “Ingleside”, 19 Military Road, Heddon on the Wall in April/May/Jun 1941 aged 69. She was being cared for by my mother (Margaret) and my father in her final years. My grandfather Joseph senior also died at “Ingleside”, 19 Military Road, Heddon on the Wall (back bedroom) in Oct/Nov/Dec 1945 aged 76. He too was cared for by my mother (Margaret) and my father. Both of my grandparents were well read, educated (or appeared to be) and entrepreneurial business people. I was pleased to be of comfort during my grandparent’s years of grief. Unfortunately for me, I did not know my Uncle Harry which is undoubtedly my loss.
Joseph Senior and Alice believed that when the war came to an end both Joseph and Henry would continue in the family business. Joseph Junior was agreeable for Henry to go into the business with the view of one day taking over. Perhaps at this early stage Joseph Junior had doubts about this career path and had other ideas for his future.
Towards the end of the war Joseph Junior (my father) was making plans with a fellow army officer to start a new venture in the Far East opening a rubber plantation. Harry was killed and the family expected Joseph to return and join the family business which would be known as 'Joseph Murray and Son (Building Contractors)'. Reluctantly Joseph Junior abandoned his vision for a new life and returned to Heddon on the Wall and the family business.
The expectations for Henry could not be fulfilled and the family business was continued by Joseph Junior.
The Murray family was always associated with the building industry. It was a relatively successful enterprise covering a wide range of activities for example: farming, house and contract building, coach building, sign writing, French polishing, general repairs and funeral directing. I remember my grandfather conducting funeral directing - he always wore a top hat and walked behind the hearse. He had an apprentice who usually followed in his wake carrying his bag of essentials for his daily tasks. My grandfather normally wore a bowler hat and frequently a bow tie. My elder sister Delia Margaret remembers that our grandfather had twinkly blue eyes, was of average height and build. He had a moustache and smoked a pipe.
For all I never knew Uncle Harry; he often came into the conversation throughout subsequent years with my grandparents and older members of the family. People in the village of Heddon on the Wall frequently talked about Henry and described him as having a very pleasant personality; he was always kind and respectful. Henry like all the family had a great love of animals and was always willing to help others. He was a very popular young man.
I am very pleased to have been able to research as much as possible my Uncle Henry, I know that my Nana would have been grateful for the efforts made to discover the final resting place of her youngest son.
Henry Murray
December 2014
My grandmother (Alice) known as Nana; wished that when I was christened that I be named Henry in memory of her lost son. Uncle Henry like me was called Harry so I have a close affinity with him. My Nana shared many hours talking about him with me. Perhaps in some way I made up for the loss of Harry. Over the years my Nana and I became very close, sharing moments of sadness and happiness. I remember my Nana to be an avid reader, she suffered from asthma, was of small stature and shaky in her later years. My Nana died in the middle bedroom of the family home “Ingleside”, 19 Military Road, Heddon on the Wall in April/May/Jun 1941 aged 69. She was being cared for by my mother (Margaret) and my father in her final years. My grandfather Joseph senior also died at “Ingleside”, 19 Military Road, Heddon on the Wall (back bedroom) in Oct/Nov/Dec 1945 aged 76. He too was cared for by my mother (Margaret) and my father. Both of my grandparents were well read, educated (or appeared to be) and entrepreneurial business people. I was pleased to be of comfort during my grandparent’s years of grief. Unfortunately for me, I did not know my Uncle Harry which is undoubtedly my loss.
Joseph Senior and Alice believed that when the war came to an end both Joseph and Henry would continue in the family business. Joseph Junior was agreeable for Henry to go into the business with the view of one day taking over. Perhaps at this early stage Joseph Junior had doubts about this career path and had other ideas for his future.
Towards the end of the war Joseph Junior (my father) was making plans with a fellow army officer to start a new venture in the Far East opening a rubber plantation. Harry was killed and the family expected Joseph to return and join the family business which would be known as 'Joseph Murray and Son (Building Contractors)'. Reluctantly Joseph Junior abandoned his vision for a new life and returned to Heddon on the Wall and the family business.
The expectations for Henry could not be fulfilled and the family business was continued by Joseph Junior.
The Murray family was always associated with the building industry. It was a relatively successful enterprise covering a wide range of activities for example: farming, house and contract building, coach building, sign writing, French polishing, general repairs and funeral directing. I remember my grandfather conducting funeral directing - he always wore a top hat and walked behind the hearse. He had an apprentice who usually followed in his wake carrying his bag of essentials for his daily tasks. My grandfather normally wore a bowler hat and frequently a bow tie. My elder sister Delia Margaret remembers that our grandfather had twinkly blue eyes, was of average height and build. He had a moustache and smoked a pipe.
For all I never knew Uncle Harry; he often came into the conversation throughout subsequent years with my grandparents and older members of the family. People in the village of Heddon on the Wall frequently talked about Henry and described him as having a very pleasant personality; he was always kind and respectful. Henry like all the family had a great love of animals and was always willing to help others. He was a very popular young man.
I am very pleased to have been able to research as much as possible my Uncle Henry, I know that my Nana would have been grateful for the efforts made to discover the final resting place of her youngest son.
Henry Murray
December 2014
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