James MURDEN

Regimental number1785
Place of birthAlconbury Weston, England
SchoolAlconbury Church of England School, England
Age on arrival in Australia19
ReligionProtestant
OccupationBaker
Addressc/o Mrs Blackburn, Baylis Street, Wagga, New South Wales
Marital statusSingle
Age at embarkation22
Height5' 9"
Weight154 lbs
Next of kinMother, Mrs C Murden, Alconbury, Huntington, Hunts, England
Previous military serviceNil
Enlistment date9 January 1915
Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll11 January 1915
Place of enlistmentLiverpool, New South Wales
Rank on enlistmentPrivate
Unit name2nd Battalion, 4th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number23/19/2
Embarkation detailsUnit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire on 10 April 1915
Rank from Nominal RollPrivate
Unit from Nominal Roll2nd Battalion
FateKilled in Action 17 August 1915
Place of death or woundingGallipoli, Turkey
Age at death23
Place of burialNo known grave
Commemoration detailsThe Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 18), Gallipoli, Turkey

The Lone Pine Memorial, situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli, and one of four memorials to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.

The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of New Zealanders commemorated are inscribed on stone panels mounted on the south and north sides of the pylon, while those of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.

The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.

Panel number, Roll of Honour,
  Australian War Memorial
33
Miscellaneous information from
  cemetery records
Name recorded incorrectly on Rushden, Northants, England, War Memorial as MURDIN.
Other details

War service: Egypt, Gallipoli

Joined 2nd Bn, Gallipoli, 26 May 1915.

Reported missing, 7-14 August 1915; CO subsequently confirmed fate as killed in action, 17 August 1915.

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
SourcesNAA: B2455, MURDEN James