World War I Commemorative Website

War Memorial Hall  c1929

Memorial Hall circa 1929
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Murray Gladstone PATTEN

PATTEN

Murray Patten was born on 11 January 1889 in Hawthorn, Victoria. His parents were the Rev. James and Charlotte Jane (née Thomson) Patten. He attended Scotch from 1903 to 1905. The Scotch Collegian notes that ‘Murray Patten had a brilliant career at Scotch College, winning the English and History Exhibition at the Honours Matriculation Examination in 1905.’ He won a scholarship to Ormond. He was outstanding at Melbourne University, completing his MA at the age of 20 and winning high honours, especially in Philosophy. He travelled to Europe to continue his studies, which he pursued in London, Freiburg (where he successfully undertook a doctorate) and Edinburgh.

Murray was a university student when he enlisted on January 1915 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He served in the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers with the rank of Captain.

Murray died on 14 April 1918 at Neuve Eglise, France. He was 29 years of age.

Service record

At the outbreak of war Murray was studying at Edinburgh University and joined the University corps. He was a Cadet Sergeant in the Infantry Officer Training Corps from September 1914 to February 1915 (see entry in University of Edinburgh Roll of Honour below). Sources on his service are hard to reconcile but he apparently received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the British Army in January 1915 and was with the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers by February, perhaps as a full Lieutenant.

He went overseas in 1915, where after the 1916 battle of the Somme he was promoted to Captain. He won his Military Cross at the battle of Couchy in 1917. He was wounded at some point after that. He was killed during the German attack at Crucifix Corner (east of Bailleul) in 1918.

Murray Patten has no known grave but is commemorated at the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.

Photographs and Documents:

PattenMG01

Entry for Murray Patten in the University of Edinburgh Roll of Honour, 1914-1919

Sources:

  1. Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
  2. Mishura Scotch Database
  3. Scotch Collegian 1916, 1917, 1918
  4. University of Edinburgh Roll of Honour, 1914-1919, https://archive.org/stream/rollofhonour191400univuoft#page/n163/mode/2up

Page last updated: 11 November 2015