Murray died on 24 May 1997, aged 84.
He joined the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars from the Royal Tank Regiment in January 1941. He was involved in the first clash with the Germans on 19 November between Sidi Azeris and Gabr Saleh. He was ‘B’ Squadron standing patrol and at lunchtime reported the German advance of between 70 and 100 enemy tanks.
The attack started at 1600hrs. He was commanding one of the only six tanks which escaped from the leaguer at Sidi Rezegh airfield on 22 November 1941. He played a major part in the Sidi Rezegh battle which finished in early December.
He was wounded at Bir Hacheim and hospitalised for three weeks, returning to the Regiment in September 1942. In November of that year, he went on the first of a series of attachments to schools and headquarters.
In October 1944 he returned to the UK and was posted, initially, to the RAC Depot, then to the School of Tank Technology and finally to the Judge Advocate General’s Office.
He was discharged in May 1946 and served on the Reserve Prior to joining the Army he had practised as a solicitor for four years, having a BA in law from Oxford.
On returning to civilian life, he rejoined the family solicitors’ firm (Rider, Heaton, Meredith and Mills) and retired in 1979 as a senior partner.
He married Margaret Carter in 1947 and had one daughter and two sons.
Murray took up photography and won many distinctions, including achieving his LRPS. In 1995 he won the Magdalen Arts Grand Prize with the same panel of 10 which won him his LRPS.
In later years, he was confined to a wheelchair and walked with a zimmer frame, but was brave and cheerful to the end. In 1994 he came back into the fold, although he did not attend any events.