Ivon Murdoch

Ivon George Murdoch MC and bar (19 October 1892[1] – 12 August 1964) was an Australian Army officer during World War I, notable for the rare distinction of twice being awarded the Military Cross (MC) for bravery.[2]

Both nominations and awards were made within the space of one calendar year (1918). While Murdoch entered the army with rank of Private, he was later commissioned as an officer and reached the rank of Lieutenant.[2]

Murdoch was born in Camberwell, Victoria,[3] the son of an immigrant Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian, the Rev. Patrick Murdoch (1850–1940) and his wife Annie, née Brown (1856–1945). Ivon Murdoch was the younger brother of prominent journalist and newspaper executive, Sir Keith Murdoch (the father of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch).

War service

When he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 26 July 1915, Murdoch stated that his occupation was "Farmer" and his home address as Riversdale Road, Camberwell, Victoria. (His first name was occasionally misspelt "Ivan" in military records.)[2] He was assigned initially to the 1–8 Reinforcements, 24th Battalion, which gave him the Service Number 3184. Murdoch was posted to the Western Front with the 8th Battalion.

Murdoch's first MC resulted from him leading extended night patrols, during March and April 1918, south-east of Ypres, Belgium in No Man's Land and behind German lines, which captured a pillbox and returned wounded men to Australian positions.[4] His second MC was awarded for actions during August 1918 that successfully:

Civilian life

Following the war, Ivon Murdoch was a farmer at Wantabadgery, New South Wales.[7]

He died there in 1964, aged 71 years old. He was survived by his wife, Alma, and sons Keith and Stuart, and predeceased by his son Ivon Murdoch Jr.[8]

Footnotes
  1. "Obituary". The Pastoral Review: 957. 18 September 1964. ...the late Ivon Murdoch was born in Melbourne on 19th October 1892
  2. "First World War Embarkation Roll" (Ivan [sic] George Murdoch), awm.gov.au; accessed 8 April 2016.
  3. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922
  4. "No. 30813". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1918. p. 8866.; as "Ivan George Murdoch".
  5. "No. 31158". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1919. p. 1637.; as "Ivan George Murdock".
  6. "No. 31219". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 March 1919. p. 3254.; as "Ivon George Murdoch".
  7. Anna King Murdoch, "In metal, the deeds of men lie hidden but immortal", The Age, 11 November 2007; accessed 8 April 2016.
  8. "Deaths". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 August 1964. p. 23.
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