Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie Murray, Commanding 14th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; Africa General Service 1902-56, 2 clasps, Somaliland 1901, Kissi 1905 (Captain L. Murray. S.L. Bn. W.A.F.F.); 1914-15 Star (Lt. Col. L. Murray. R. War. R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col. L. Murray.); Coronation 1911, unnamed; together with a silver shooting medal inscribed ‘Sergt. Murray, L. Best Shot No. 4 Sec. ‘G’ Coy. Score 178’, generally good very fine, the second very scarce (7) £1800-2200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Julian Johnson Collection.

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D.S.O. London Gazette 1 January 1917: ‘Major (Temporary Lieut.-Colonel) Leslie Murray (Capt., Reserve of Officers) Royal Warwickshire Regt.’

Leslie Murray was born on 29 February 1878 and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the East Surrey Regiment on 25 August 1897, being made Lieutenant in 1899. He served in East Africa in the operations in Somaliland 1901, under Captain M. MacNeill, including the attack on the zariba at Samala on 2/3 June 1901, when the Mullah’s forces were driven off with the loss of 600 men killed and wounded (Medal with clasp). Promoted to Captain in 1904 he next took part in the operations in West Africa with the Kissi Field Force, March to June 1905, being one of only 16 British officers to receive the medal with this clasp (Note: It is apparent that Murray received a new medal for this expedition, having already received one for the Somaliland operations of 1901. A medal disc only named ‘Lieut. L. Murray, Somali Levy’ was sold by Baldwin’s Auctions in November 2001).

Murray retired from the East Surrey’s on 3 June 1914 but was appointed a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, with whom he served in France and Italy from 21 November 1915, in command of the 14th Battalion. He was wounded by shrapnel during an advance at Nieppe in 1918 (Despatches three times, D.S.O.).