Bert Heyvaert Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Hello, I'm about to go to the PRO and try to find the service records of Captain L.N.Murphy Originally, he was a captain in the first batallion, the Queen's regiment, embrked in France 5 august 1914. According to his son Francis, all of 30 men in his batallion were killed. I'm pretty sure that I will find his service records if they are still there, as I have quite some info on him allready. However, the second part of his life in the war might be a bit more tricky to investigate. Somewhere in 1915, he was transferred to the Intelligence corps with the security identify of segeant, Royal Fusiliers. During his time in the intelligence corps, he was awarded the french Croix de guerre with bronze star and the Medaille Militaire, for bravery and initiative in rescuing and evacuating the population of Bethune by train, while the railway station was being bombarded. So I wondered.... - Can I expect to find something about his time in the Intelligence corps in his service record, or do I have to look elsewhere for that? - Where should I be able to find sth about his french war medals? In Kew or should I try Paris? - Murphy titled himself L.N. Murphy, F.I.L. Does anybody has an idea what FIL stands for? For those interested: Murphy stayed in Ypres after the war, got married and founded a war museum, the largest private 1914-1918 museum of that time, in the Vleeshuis, the building opposite the cloth hall that now houses the youth centre. He died in Ypres in 1951, and is buried in the town cemetery. Although he did at no point work for the IWGC, they granted him the honour of being buried underneath the type of headstone normally only used for IWGC-staff. regards, Bert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Bert: I don't mean to be skeptical but finding Captain L. N. Murphy at the PRO may be somewhat harder than you think because no officer by that name is in either the August 1914 or February 1915 Army List or in the January 1915 Retired List. There are only four officers with the surname Murphy and the initial L: Captain Leo Murphy, RAMC; Lieut. LAM Murphy, Liverpool Regt.; Lieut. LCE Murphy, RAMC; and Lieut. LW Murphy, Duke of Cornwall's Lt Infy. It also seems extraordinary to me that a pre-war officer (which he would have to be if he was a Captain in 1914) would give up his commissioned rank and take the rank of an NCO. Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmsk212 Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Bert At Kew there are four files for Officers named L Murphy plus one for L W Murphy and one for L J Murphy. The four L Murphy files are WO339 / 92604, WO339 / 99878, WO339 / 109561 & WO339 / 112591 these all cover the dates 1914 -1922. A look through WO338 will confirm if any of these four officers are your man. If, however, he served after 1922 his records will not be available at Kew. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 There is an LN Murphy in the November 1918 Army List, serving with 3rd Bn, Scots Guards. Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Bert, On a quick look there is nothing about Murphy in Forewarned: A History of the Intelligence Corps by Anthony Clayton (Brassey's 1993). You could try the Intelligence Corps Museum at Chicksands http://www.army.mod.uk/intelligencecorps/chicksands.htm NCOs directly enlisted for intelligence and security duties were, for administrative purposes, badged and administered as Royal Fusiliers. Those already serving who were employed on intelligence and security duties were eventually also badged and administered as 10th ( Royal Fusiliers (Intelligence Corps) - an organisation that had nothing to do with the 'real' 10th RF. But I doubt if Murphy was an officer he would have given up his commission - he may have worn ORs uniform and badges for operational reasons. FIL probably = Fellow of the Institute of Linguists. Jock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert Heyvaert Posted 25 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Thanks for all the helpfull regards so far, seems like it might not be so simple after all. I checked my info again, and I might have made a mistake. L.N. Murphy was refered to by the rank of captain in the post-war articles of the Ypres British club, of which he was the president. This made me assume that he was an officer during the war as well, but that doesn't necessarily has to be true. Judging from the fact that he was only 22 in 1914, it is indeed quite unlikely that he was a captain when he arrived in France. Maybe he might have been given an officer's rank while serving in the army intelligence corps? I also have to admit that my only info on his war service comes from his son, who is 85 now and is starting to develop a bit of a failing memory. The full name of L.N. Murphy is Leo Norbury Murphy, born in Manchester 1891. Thank you all again for your replies, Bert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert Heyvaert Posted 25 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Judging from the fact that he arrived in Ypres in 1921, where he was recorded as being employed as an electrician for 'la mission américaine' (any ideas what this was?) he retired from the army before 1922. regards, Bert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Bert, London Gazette Issue 30945 published on the 8 October 1918 Medaille Militaire L/9094 Acting Corporal Leo Norbury Murphy, Royal West Surrey Regiment (Holland Park, W.). London Gazette Issue 31109 published on the 3 January 1919 Groix de Guerre L/17727 Private Leo Norbury Murphy, Royal Fusiliers, attached Intelligence Corps (Holland Park Road). So still an OR at the end of the war - post war commission ? Jock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock Bruce Posted 25 January , 2004 Share Posted 25 January , 2004 And he was born in Chorlton, Manchester in 1891. Jock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert Heyvaert Posted 25 January , 2004 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2004 Thank you very much Jock! He lived in France in 1919 ( Villers-le-sec), were he got married and his son was born in the same year (only 5 months after the marriage, which might have been forced...), then moved to Vlamertinge in 1921. I hope I will find some info on him in the PRO (either personal file, or from his medals) next week. regards, Bert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andy Edwards Posted 4 February , 2013 Share Posted 4 February , 2013 Hi Folks I am researching the life of L N Murphy and came across this old thread. Any further help gratefully received. Many Thanks Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 19 January , 2019 Share Posted 19 January , 2019 hello I have aquired a motorist touring map of the 1914-18 war cemeteries. It is headed 'British Information Bureau', the travel director is Mr L N Murphy. F.L.L president Ypres branch "Old Contemptibles" late of 1st Btn."The Queens Rgt." and British Army Intelligence Corps (B) The address is Main Street,facing Cloth Hall ,Ypres. Let me know if you would like a pic of the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corisande Posted 19 January , 2019 Share Posted 19 January , 2019 It is certain that he never was commissioned. There is a good short CV of Murphy's life here https://www.facebook.com/OldContemptibles1914/posts/an-early-pioneer-of-battlefield-tourism-around-ypres-and-the-founder-of-the-ypre/1784686924899689/ An early pioneer of battlefield tourism around Ypres, and the founder of the Ypres Salient War Museum, was Leo Norbury Murphy. Born at Manchester in 1891, Murphy was serving as a Private with the 1st Battalion, The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) at the outbreak of the Great War and landed in France on 9 August 1914. He was later transferred to the 10B Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, which was employed on military intelligence tasks, and was appointed an Acting Corporal. Murphy was awarded the Medaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre by the French Government. Following his demobilisation in 1919 Leo returned to France, where he married and had a son. He moved to Vlamertinghe in 1921 and soon set up a business – the British Touring and Information Bureau – based in the Grand Place at Ypres providing guided package tours around the battlefields of the Ypres Salient. Murphy also joined the Ypres Branch of the British Legion on its formation and served as President of the Ypres Branch of The Old Contemptibles’ Association, and when the tourist season closed during the winter months worked as an electrician. Murphy was a larger-than-life character not adverse to self-promotion, and contemporary press reports often refer to him as an officer (he was never commissioned) or as an “Irishman” on account of his surname. During the 1920s Murphy established the “Ypres Salient War Museum” and his collection was moved to the rebuilt western wing of the Cloth Hall in 1937. Following the outbreak of the Second World War Murphy was advised by the Belgian authorities to evacuate his collection to Britain, and by 1940 it had been installed at Gloucester Place in Brighton, charging an admission of 1s. for adults, 6d. for children, and half-price entry to members of the armed forces. Leo Murphy and his family returned to Belgium following the end of the Second World War and he died on 21 August 1951. He was buried at Ypres Town Cemetery. The photographs are of one of Chum Murphy's advertisements, which was printed in the October 1937 number of "The Old Contemptible," and his headstone at Ypres Town Cemetery, which I visited on 8 August this year while acting as a guide on the Royal British Legion's Great Pilgrimage 90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeignGong Posted 20 January , 2019 Share Posted 20 January , 2019 His Medaille Militaire https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30945/supplement/11947 His Croix de Guerre https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/31109/supplement/316 Each award was with a different service number and different unit and gazetted 3 months apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 6 July , 2019 Share Posted 6 July , 2019 Hello, I am a granddaughter of Leo Norbury Murphy. I am also wanting to trace his war records, which seem hard to track down. He got the Croix de Guerre and the Medaile Militaire during his service but the years 1914 to 1918 have drawn a blank. A book is being written on LNM due out this Christmas, so I am hoping for more information in order to go to publication. Any information would be welcome. Cecilia Wootton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 6 July , 2019 Share Posted 6 July , 2019 On 05/02/2013 at 05:49, Guest Andy Edwards said: Hi Folks I am researching the life of L N Murphy and came across this old thread. Any further help gratefully received. Many Thanks Andy hello Andy, we are both on the same page! but rather a way apart. timewise. you will already have this info so I won't send it to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 6 July , 2019 Admin Share Posted 6 July , 2019 Welcome to the forum Cecilia. Andy is no longer a member here, hence his guest status. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewThornton Posted 27 July , 2019 Share Posted 27 July , 2019 (edited) Cecilia, Leo's service record does not survive but there is a lot of material available on him, much of which is contradictory. However, I have posted a short biography on my Facebook page relating to The Old Contemptibles and have other information regarding his post-war activities if you would like to get in touch. Edited 27 July , 2019 by AndrewThornton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now