LEST WE FORGET 267 MURPHY, Thomas Francis “Tom/Tommy” WWI Tom Murphy was born on October 8, 1895, in Hibbert Township, Perth County, Ontario to Rachel and Joseph Murphy. The Murphy family moved to a farm in the Grand Coulee, Saskatchewan district in 1909. Tom enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces January 1916 in Regina, joining the 152nd Battalion. He was deployed to the Western Front in France in November 1916 as part of the 5th Canadian Infantry Battalion and saw active service on many fields of battle includingYpres, Arras and Vimy Ridge. He was wounded in May 1917 and following a period of recovery, he returned to the Western Front in March 1918 where he remained until January 1919. Upon his return to Canada, he was discharged upon demobilization in March 1919 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to being wounded, Tom also suffered numerous infections and conditions common among soldiers serving in the trenches of France, the effects of which would stay with him for his lifetime. Upon his return to Saskatchewan, he took up a series of farm jobs before moving to Moose Jaw, where he was employed at the flour and grain elevators. The terror of trench warfare bore heavily on Tom throughout his lifetime, yet he was able to make his way with his sparkling Irish eyes, gentle laugh and generous nature. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Branch 59. Tom passed away in 1965 and is interred at the City of Moose Jaw Veterans Cemetery. MURRAY, Percy Ross WWI Private Percy Ross Murray was born on January 11, 1898 at Vars, Ontario. He was a sibling in a family of eleven children born to John and Mary (Wylie) Murray. The family moved to the Macrorie area in 1908. Percy attended country schools at Westhope and Bratton. He was farming and living at Swanson, Saskatchewan when he enlisted in Saskatoon on May 23, 1916 with the Canadian Pioneers 107th Battalion. He did not inform his family, which was living in Macrorie, of his intention to enlist, likely fearing they would dissuade him. He trained at Camp Hughes. His mother Mary received a post card dated September 26, 1916, saying the battalion was leaving for overseas the next day. Percy arrived in England aboard the Olympia on October 13, 1916. Private Murray was transferred to the 107th Battalion when he arrived in France on March 22, 1917. The 107th, which recruited soldiers fromWestern Canada, fought at the Battle of Passchendaele in the Ypres area from July to November 1917. The objective was to control the ridges south and east of the Belgian city. Percy Ross Murray was killed in action on September 24, 1917. His official service record states his age as 18. His mother received the Military Cross. Private Percy Ross Murray is buried at Bully-Grenay Communal Cemetery, British Extension, Palais de Calais, France. The inscription on his gravestone reads: “He died so that we might better live and better die.” He is also commemorated in Saskatoon Memorial Garden at Woodlawn Cemetery where an elm tree was planted in his honour. Percy Ross Murray was one of twenty-four young men from Macrorie who fought in World War I. He and his brother William Brooks Murray were the only two killed in action.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==