Alexander Murdoch from Forres made a Knight of The Legion of Honour for his actions during World War II
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A FORRES loon has been made a Knight of The Legion of Honour, France’s highest military award.
Alexander Murdoch was born in 1926 on the Snab of Moy Farm near Dyke, third son of John and Ann Murdoch.
The family farm’s impact extended to Forres where uncles Tom, Daniel and William had shops on High Street.
With two older brothers already serving in the armed forces, Alex joined the Air Training Corps – Forres Squadron 446. Aged 16 he volunteered for the Merchant Navy, going to sea as a radio officer in August 1943. His ship, the SS Empire Beatrice, spent the next seven months transporting troops and equipment to North Africa, the Balkans and Italy. The ship returned to the UK in May 1944 to prepare for the Normandy Landings. Alex, not yet 18, was part of the armada which delivered the Allied army on to the beaches on June 6, 1944. His particular concern were 256 Canadian troops intended for Juno Beach. Tragically, the SS Beatrice was torpedoed by German E-boats but Alex eventually reached Omaha Beach, scene of the invasion’s most bitter fighting.
He described the sinking: “I was manning the bridge. Shells were fired over and the first torpedo could be seen passing the bow. The captain ordered me to advise the guards that the ship was under attack, sound the alarm and get the troops up on the deck. As I arrived back on the bridge a torpedo struck near the stern where I had been and the captain gave the order to abandon ship. I went to the radio room and took the steel box containing secret wireless codes and threw it into the sea. The stern was sinking and the bow had come up. Fortunately as soon as the ship was torpedoed the second officer got a lifeboat into the water. A rope was attached to support beams, the other end at sea level. I slid down and managed to get in. At around 5am an American Landing Ship Tanks (LST 291) rescued us and we were taken to Omaha Beach. German bombers were attacking ships tied there but our LST was not hit. I was taken to Southampton where my injured hands were treated and bandaged. When I was fit, I set off on the two-day journey home.”
It is for his contribution to the liberation of France from Nazi tyranny that Alex received the Legion of Honour. The medal was pinned to the veteran’s chest at a ceremony hosted by the Returned Services League SubBranch Southport, Queensland by Mr Nicolas Crozier, the French Consul-General from Sydney.
After World War II, Alex emigrated to Australia via Malaya where he worked for 20 years on rubber and palm oil plantations. Aged 40, he purchased property near Perth in Western Australia and pursued a farming career, eventually owning two farms with more than 900 cattle, 20,000 laying hens and 1500 avocado trees. He also got married and had two sons, one who became a veterinary surgeon and the other an electronics engineer.
Alex said: “We last visited Forres in 2013 and 2015.
“When I grew up, the population was 4000 and now it is over 10,000. Everything has changed. Yet in my 94th year, it is still the same town for me because of my memories.
“Getting The Legion of Honour was very special – a great honour indeed!”
