Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Fleet Air Arm pilot’s O.B.E. pair awarded to Lieutenant-Commander A. H. G. Murray, Royal Navy, who was credited with destroying two Egyptian MiG-15 jets - and damaging two other enemy aircraft - in strikes on Almaza airfield in his Sea Venom during the Suez Crisis of 1956: his Squadron Commander described Almaza as ‘seeming to have more 30mm. flak than all the rest (of the enemy’s airfields) put together’

Subsequently awarded the O.B.E. for his part in top secret work at Boscombe Down in the mid-60s - flying Sea Vixens and Lightnings as part of the Red Top missile programme - he departed the Navy to take up employment as an inventor and then as a salvage master - and it was in the latter capacity that he died fighting a fire aboard a merchantman off Singapore in September 1981

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; Naval General Service 1915-62, 2 clasps, Malaya, Near East (Lieut. (P.) A. H. G. Murray, R.N.), good very fine (2) £1800-2200

O.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1965.

Alistair Hugh Garnet Murray was in British Columbia in November 1930, the second son of one of Canada’s most famous and distinguished military men - Admiral Leonard Warren Murray, C.B., C.B.E.; his step-mother was the daughter of a Russian Prince.

Alistair entered the Royal Navy as a cadet at Dartmouth, aged 13 years, and joined his first ship, H.M.S. Devonshire, in January 1948. He then served aboard King George V and Superb before joining the Fleet Air Arm. His flying training was undertaken with the U.S. Navy in Pensacola. He then undertook conversion training back in the U.K., during the course of which he experienced a serious accident when his Hawker Sea Fury swung off the runway, on landing, and hit some Squadron buildings resulting in four people being injured, including himself.

Having recovered from his injuries, and now converted, Murray joined 811 Squadron aboard the carrier Warrior. With them he participated in two bombing raids on Communist positions in the jungle in Johore Baru, Malaya, flying a Sea Fury. The Squadron dropped a total of fifty-six 500lb bombs on the enemy camps. For this service he was awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp ‘Malaya’. Back aboard the Warrior, Murray had another severe accident when he crashed his aircraft into the safety barrier on landing, resulting in considerable damage to his Sea Fury.

In 1955 he converted to jet aircraft, in which period he crash-landed a Sea Vampire resulting in heavy damage (the repaired aircraft now resides in a museum in Scotland). Having converted to jets, Murray was posted to 893 Squadron aboard the carrier Eagle, flying Sea Venoms. It was with this capacity that Murray was to serve during the Suez Crisis in 1956. On the second day of “Operation Musketeer” - on 2 November - Murray, with the other five Sea Venoms from 803 Squadron, attacked the heavily defended Egyptian airfield at Almaza, on the outskirts of Cairo. The Squadron made two attacks, under considerable anti-aircraft fire, in which Murray destroyed a MiG-15 and damaged a Meteor on the ground. The Squadron Commander’s aircraft was badly damaged by flak during the raid and Murray escorted it back to Eagle. Flying Officer Olding, an R.A.F. Observer attached to the Squadron, was severely wounded, eventually losing his leg, an action for which he was awarded the D.S.C.

The next day Murray’s Log indicates that he straffed Gamil Bridge for over an hour. On 5 November, during a dawn-strike on Almaza, Murray destroyed his second MiG-15 and damaged another. Almaza was described by the Squadron Commander as ‘seeming to have more 30mm. flak than all the rest (airfields) put together.’ On the day of the sea landings - on 6 November - Murray flew along the beaches giving cover; that evening, he and the Squadron raided Almaza again in a series of rocket attacks.

The remainder of “Operation Musketeer” consisted of a series of routine flights and combat air patrols, although Murray managed to crash into the dreaded ‘barrier’ again, during a night-time landing on 25 November. Murray’s Log ends on 26 December when he landed his aircraft in Malta. His confirmed ‘bag’ for the Suez campaign was two MiG-15’s destroyed, one damaged and a Meteor damaged.

After Suez, Murray attended several courses and had a stint flying with 894 Squadron aboard the Eagle. In 1959 he was the Gunnery Officer aboard the Cavalier. In 1960 he was flying Hunters, Vampires and Venoms. Then, later that year, he was posted to Boscombe Down to undertake secret work on the Red Top missile and other tasks with the Sea Vixen and Lightning aircraft; this lasted for four years. For this important service he was awarded the O.B.E.

In 1965 Murray was posted to the Victorious as Gunnery Officer. In 1966 he was posted back to Boscombe Down, now working on the Martel missile. He left the Royal Navy in 1970 to set-up a firm called Planesail, exploiting designs that he had invented in the development of future sailing vessels, a concept well ahead of its time.

In 1975 he moved to Singapore to become a Salvage Master with SELCO Salvage Ltd. Over the next six years Murray salvaged dozens of large vessels in distress at sea including the Oceanic Grandeur which was on fire - two crew were killed but 37 lives were saved; the Pacific Charger, which grounded in New Zealand; the Choyu Maru, which broke in half and the Pablo Everett, a cargo ship on fire. It was aboard the latter ship, on 3 September 1981, that Murray was killed. The vessel, laden with general cargo, caught fire off Singapore and was towed into the harbour. Murray, wearing breathing apparatus, entered the burning ship to locate the seat of the fire. Sadly, in the smoke-filled hold, he fell to his death.

Sold with an extensive and well-presented research file containing a complete history of Murray’s career, with details from his flying records, including copies of his Suez Log Book and all of his annual reports - giving every posting, course attended and attachment - and many pictures of the actual aircraft that he was known to have flown, including those during Suez.