49 Facts About Archibald Murray

Archibald Murray was Chief of Staff to the British Expeditionary Force in August 1914 but appears to have suffered a physical breakdown in the retreat from Mons, and was required to step down from that position in January 1915.

Archibald Murray was Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force from January 1916 to June 1917, in which role he laid the military foundation for the defeat and destruction of the Ottoman Empire in the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant.

Archibald Murray was appointed adjutant of his regiment on 12 February 1886.

Archibald Murray took part in the withdrawal from Dundee and then the siege of Ladysmith in late 1899 and became senior staff officer to Sir Archibald Hunter, General Officer Commanding 10th Division, early in 1900.

Archibald Murray was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General on 6 March 1900, promoted to lieutenant colonel on 29 October 1900 and awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 29 November 1900.

Archibald Murray was again mentioned in despatches in February 1901.

Archibald Murray was appointed Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, stationed in India, in October 1901, but never took up this position.

Archibald Murray was deployed to Northern Transvaal in February 1902 where he was seriously wounded in April 1902 and mentioned in despatches once more in July 1902.

Archibald Murray became Director of Military Training at the War Office on 9 November 1907 and, having been promoted to major general on 13 July 1910, he was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the Coronation Honours in June 1911.

Archibald Murray took part in the procession for the coronation of King George V on 22 June 1911.

Archibald Murray had already earned a high reputation as a staff officer in South Africa and under French at the War Office.

Archibald Murray returned to find Murray at Rheims trying to "unravel" the strategic situation of the German Empire's armies' invasion of France on a set of large maps spread out upon the floor of his hotel room, on all fours, dressed only in his "pants", whilst chambermaids came and went.

Robertson and Kirke recorded that Archibald Murray knew little of the plans which Wilson had drawn up with the French and had to work with a staff "almost entirely staffed from the Directorate" who were used to working with Wilson.

Loch wrote in his diary for that day that Archibald Murray was "by nature petulant" and "difficult to work with".

Archibald Murray appears to have suffered some kind of physical collapse round about this time, although the details differ between different eyewitness accounts.

Spears' recollection was that Archibald Murray had collapsed with a weak pulse, but did not actually faint, when told earlier during the same night that the Germans had fallen upon Haig's I Corps at Landrecies.

General Macready later recorded that Archibald Murray fainted at his desk whilst working at Noyon.

Archibald Murray had no idea when French, who was out visiting British I Corps, was to return and was unwilling to make any decision in his absence.

Wilson noted that French and Archibald Murray "were out motoring and playing the ass all day".

Archibald Murray had to intercede to prevent French from sacking Harper but a week later recorded, that Murray and Harper argued constantly.

Wilson thought French and Archibald Murray were "between them quite unable to size up a position or to act with constancy for 24 hours".

Archibald Murray complained to Victor Huguet about Wilson, but told Wilson that French was getting "more unreasonable" and asked Wilson whether he should resign; Wilson informed Billy Lambton, French's secretary, of both of these incidents.

Archibald Murray complained and threatened to resign when Wilson amended one of his orders without telling him.

Rawlinson noted in his diary that Archibald Murray became "a cipher at GHQ", was disliked by his subordinates and that French often ignored his staff "chiefly because Archibald Murray is incapable of managing them and getting any good work out of them".

Edmonds later said that Archibald Murray sometimes falsified the timing of orders, but he was given away by the time stamp which the duty clerk placed on them.

Wilson claimed to have heard Joffre, on a visit to GHQ, complain that it was "a pity" that Archibald Murray had not been removed.

Archibald Murray was sent off sick for a month and French demanded his resignation, despite Archibald Murray insisting that he only needed to take a few days off.

Haig wrote that "Archibald Murray was a kindly fellow but not a practical man in the field".

Archibald Murray was made Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 10 February 1915 and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George on 18 February 1915.

Archibald Murray became Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 26 September 1915.

Archibald Murray was promoted to permanent lieutenant general on 28 October 1915.

Archibald Murray wrote that "I have never in my forty years' service done better work than I did during the three months I was CIGS".

Haig, about to be appointed Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, rejected Kitchener's suggestion that Archibald Murray be reappointed as Chief of Staff BEF.

Archibald Murray was forced out as CIGS on 23 December 1915 and replaced by Robertson, a strong advocate of the single front strategy.

In January 1916, Archibald Murray was given command of the British Troops in Egypt and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.

In January 1916 Archibald Murray was relieved of operational command of British troops at Salonika, which was given to the French General Sarrail.

Archibald Murray wrote to Robertson that the Australians were "from a physical point of view a magnificent body of men" but had "no idea of ordinary decency or self control".

Archibald Murray now had to advance over the Sinai Peninsula, which consisted of sand in the north, gravel and clay in the centre and mountains in the south.

Archibald Murray captured El Arish in December and Rafa on the Palestine frontier in January 1917.

However, Robertson was not entirely hostile to efforts in Palestine, telling Archibald Murray he wanted him to launch a Palestine Offensive in autumn and winter 1917, if the war was still going on then.

Archibald Murray was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George on 20 January 1917.

Archibald Murray completed the defeat of the Senussi.

In March 1917 at the First Battle of Gaza a British force under Archibald Murray's command comprising 52nd Division reinforced by an infantry brigade from Eastern Force attacked Gaza.

At the Second Battle of Gaza in April 1917 Archibald Murray assembled a larger force comprising the 52nd Division, 53rd Division, the 54th Division and the recently formed 74th Division which was made up of brigades of dismounted yeomanry serving as infantry.

Archibald Murray was mentioned in despatches again on 3 November 1917.

Archibald Murray was reassigned, becoming General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Aldershot Command in October 1917 and having been promoted to full general on 25 August 1919, remained in post until 15 November 1919.

Archibald Murray was colonel of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers from 22 August 1911.

Archibald Murray died at his home "Makepeace" at Reigate in Surrey on 21 January 1945 and was buried in a family vault on the west side of Highgate Cemetery.

Archibald Murray was unsympathetically portrayed by Donald Wolfit in the cinema film Lawrence of Arabia as a stereotypical blimpish British general, obsessed with artillery.