Leonard W. Murray
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral
Leonard Warren Murray, CB, CBE (22 June 1896 – 25 November 1971) was a officer of the Royal Canadian Navy
who played a significant role in the Battle of the Atlantic. He commanded the Newfoundland Escort Force
from 1941–1943, and from 1943 to the end of the war was Commander-in-Chief, Canadian Northwest Atlantic
. He was the only Canadian to command an Allied
theatre of operations
during World War I or World War II.
, Nova Scotia on 22 June 1896. His father Simon Dickson Murray (1859–1936) was a direct descendant of the Scottish immigrants who travelled to Pictou County on the Hector
in 1773, and his mother was Jane Falconer (1868–1968). Simon was mid-level manager in various enterprises in Pictou Landing
, and Leonard grew up close to the water. At 14 years of age, Murray left Pictou Academy
to join the first intake of 21 recruits into the Royal Naval College of Canada
in Halifax
, which had just been created by the Naval Service Act
of 4 May 1910.
The first winter at the naval college was absolute hell, we had no uniforms, we arrived in what we stood up in and had to send home for further clothing. A case of measles broke out very shortly and we were quarantined, and the only time we got out of the college was when we went to the skating rink to play hockey; and that was a great relief - Murray.
Immediately after graduating in January 1913, he served as a Midshipman
on the Royal Navy vessel on duty protecting British interests in the Mexican Revolution
, and then aboard . At the outbreak of World War I he was assigned to the protected cruiser
HMCS Niobe, the largest ship in the Canadian navy during World War I. Four of his classmates were sent to the Royal Navy cruiser and were killed off the coast of South America on 1 November 1914 at the Battle of Coronel
– thereby becoming the first Canadian-service casualties of World War I. Murray served briefly as Flotilla Gunnery Officer on HMCS Margaret and then in February 1916 was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant
while aboard . He spent the last two years of World War I as Assistant Navigating Officer on from January 1917 as Lieutenant, where he set up troop convoy
s across the Atlantic to outwit German U-boat
s – invaluable experience for the Battle of the Atlantic more than 20 years later. Murray ended the war in the North Sea aboard , and witnessed the surrender of the German fleet at Scapa Flow
.
under the distinguished British Captain Percy Noble, from whom Murray learned the basic skills of command, and who eighteen years later served opposite Murray on the receiving end of the convoys as Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Command
. Following a short tour aboard HMS Crescent
, Murray was assigned to as Navigation Officer, until Aurora was paid off in 1921 due to naval budget cuts. Leonard married Jean Chaplin Scott in Westmount, Quebec on 10 October 1921, and with the Royal Canadian Navy
depleted of ships on which he could serve, at this point he considered a civilian career, in 1924 qualifying as master of a foreign-going vessel. Deciding to remain with the armed forces, Murray joined many of his colleagues and spent the inter-war years alternating between shore assignments as a training officer with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
, and serving aboard Royal Navy
vessels, which in Murray's case included (during a tour in 1923 in Turkey where he befriended Lord Louis Mountbatten), and . Understandably, this provided Murray and his peers, including Percy W. Nelles
, with a distinct anglophile and, in matters military, Royal Navy
bias. In January 1925, Murray was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and spent two years at the Canadian Navy's main training base at HMCS Stadacona
. In 1927, Murray returned to the UK where he did a tour aboard and then spent 1928 studying at the Royal Naval Staff College
at Greenwich
. During a simulation exercise at the College, Murray broke new ground by planning large convoys - convoys that were regarded at the time as "almost suicidal", but which had become normal by the time of the Battle of the Atlantic. Upon return to Canada in January 1929, Murray was promoted to Commander
and became the senior naval officer at CFB Esquimalt
. In notes for a lecture to RMC Kingston
in 1932, his continuing interest in the offensive merit of convoys over patrols is evident:
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From June 1932, Murray was assigned for a year as Naval Staff Officer to National Defence
Headquarters in Ottawa, before setting back to sea for two years, leading the small fleet of East Coast destroyers from the bridge of his first operational command, HMCS Saguenay
. At this point, in mid-1934, Murray was appointed to a new position of Senior Naval Officer, Halifax, a position that combined the Commander of the East Coast with the Command of the Naval Dockyard
in Halifax. In June 1936 Murray was sent back to the UK to work in the Admiralty Operations Division, and in December 1936 he started his final tour with the Royal Navy serving as Executive Officer
aboard the former battleship , where he participated in the 1937 Coronation Fleet Review. In August 1938, in the middle of a final year at the Imperial Defence College, Murray was promoted to Captain
, and so it was that, on the eve of World War II when the Royal Navy was mobilized, Murray returned to Ottawa as a Captain, and Director Naval Operations and Training.
officers back into the Canadian Navy
, and advocating for the "small-ship anti-submarine" investment strategy that was eventually so successful. In March 1940 he made a secret visit to the UK to negotiate the construction of destroyers in the UK for the Canadian Navy, and subsequently was a founding member of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence
. It was while he was working for the PJBD that he renewed his friendship with Commander James "Chummy" Prentice
, who was shortly thereafter assigned the position of Senior Officer, Canadian Corvettes under Murray. Both men would work closely together until the spring of 1944. In October 1940, he went back to sea briefly as Captain of HMCS Assiniboine and Commodore
Commanding Halifax Force, effectively in command of the five Canadian warships that were dispatched to the UK in January 1941 to serve convoy duty. Back ashore in the UK, Murray was given the unusual title of Commodore Commanding Canadian Ships, and liaised closely with the Admiralty in the planning of an Atlantic strategy, including the resolution of jurisdictional matters relating to the Dominion of Newfoundland
.
On return to Canada he was promoted to full Commodore on 31 May 1941, and on 13 June 1941 he was put in charge of the Newfoundland Escort Force
(NEF) based out of St John's
. This was the most important operational mandate given to a Canadian navy officer until that point, in full command of 6 Canadian destroyers, 7 British destroyers, and 21 corvettes, and with responsibility for convoy escort from New York out as far as the transfer point to UK escorts south of Iceland. In recognition of this increased role, Murray was subsequently appointed Rear Admiral
on 2 December 1941.
The NEF was reorganized in February 1942 as the Mid-Ocean Escort Force
(MOEF). On 9 September 1942, Murray was appointed to Commanding Officer Atlantic Coast, with his Headquarters in Halifax, and effective command over 322 armed ships. As a direct result of the Atlantic Convoy Conference
of 1–12 March 1943, where it was agreed that the US Navy would concentrate on the South Atlantic leaving Canada and the UK to cover the North Atlantic, on 1 April 1943 Murray was made Commander-in-Chief Canadian Northwest Atlantic
. Still headquartered in Halifax, thereafter he commanded all Allied air and naval forces involved in convoy
protection between Canada and the coast of Ireland until the end of the war with Germany in 1945.
A personal highlight of this period occurred on 14 September 1943, when Murray gave an impromptu guided tour of Halifax to the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
. Churchill and his family, together with the First Sea Lord
, boarded in Halifax harbour for their return voyage to the United Kingdom following consultations with US President Roosevelt
. Murray was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1943 King's Birthday Honours, and Companion of the Order of the Bath the following year.
As the Allies gained the upper hand in the Battle of the Atlantic throughout 1943 and 1944, attacks on convoys diminished and the amount of escort cover was reduced, but the hard work of planning and organizing convoys never ceased. By May 1944, British participation in convoy escorts was withdrawn entirely, and Canada was left with sole responsibility until September 1944. Murray's moment of singular pride came in this period, when the largest convoy of World War II, HX 300
sailed for the UK via New York on 17 July 1944, with 167 merchant ships (1500000 LT (1,524,075 t)). It arrived in the UK, without incident, on 3 August 1944.
, a decision that is generally considered to have contributed to the Halifax Riot
of 7–8 May 1945. James Lorimer Ilsley
, the Acting Prime Minister of Canada, responded quickly to the situation and on 10 May appointed Justice Kellock
to chair a Royal Commission
into the disorders. On 12 May, Murray was abruptly removed from his command; and the next day a separate Naval Board of Inquiry under Admiral Brodeur was appointed to investigate naval participation in the disorders. The Kellock Commission placed considerable blame upon the Navy and in particular upon the Admiral, for not having exercised better control over the sailors' celebrations ashore. The Naval Inquiry's findings were more balanced, finding that the riot
was caused by several factors, including a failure in the naval command. Murray himself felt that responsibility lay mainly with the civil authorities of Halifax, and he was frustrated that the Kellock Commission effectively placed the Navy on trial without providing him or his officers with an opportunity to defend themselves. He asked for a court martial to clear his name, but this was never agreed. The Government made an attempt to leave the Admiral with his honour intact:
But the Admiral was never assigned another command. Concluding that he was being held up as a scapegoat, and feeling bitter that the country and the Navy had abandoned him suddenly at the moment of the Navy's greatest accomplishment, Murray left Canada for the United Kingdom in September 1945, and officially retired from the Navy on 14 March 1946.
—coincidentally carried back to Canada where a Canadian Sea Cadet Corps in New Glasgow
, near his home town, is named in his honour (RCSCC 87 Admiral Murray). Murray stopped practising law in 1960 to care better for his ailing wife, who died in 1962. Following a chance meeting on a Greek cruise, Leonard remarried on 23 August 1963, in Buxton to an ophthalmic surgeon Antonina Schcheyteenin—who quickly came to be known as Nina Murray. He dabbled in British politics, becoming a member of the Conservative Party
and ran unsuccessfully as a candidate in municipal council elections in Buxton in 1965, before turning his attention to a spirited debate with the Canadian military establishment, the media and Prime Minister Pearson
wherein he opposed the 1966 integration of the Canadian Armed Forces. Although clearly feeling that Canada had abandoned him following the Halifax Riot
, Murray maintained his ties to Canada and last visited in 1970, when he participated in the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Leonard died peacefully in Buxton on 25 November 1971, and his ashes were placed in St Paul's Church
in Halifax on 17 September 1972. His memory lived on in the Canadian Navy, where the Admiral L.W. Murray Trophy for Gunnery Proficiency was awarded annually at least until the early 1970s. Since his death, a number of commemorative steps have been taken, including the placing of a memorial in his honour in Pictou, a collection of his medals and related naval artifacts in the Canadian Naval Operations School in Halifax, the naming of a Maritimes Branch of the Royal Canadian Naval Association, and the naming of several naval buildings.
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Leonard Warren Murray, CB, CBE (22 June 1896 – 25 November 1971) was a officer of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
who played a significant role in the Battle of the Atlantic. He commanded the Newfoundland Escort Force
Newfoundland Escort Force
The Newfoundland Escort Force was an Allied formation of escort ships during the Battle of the Atlantic. Created in 1941, the force consisted of ships from the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and United States Navy under the command of Commodore Leonard W. Murray .In June 1941, the British decided...
from 1941–1943, and from 1943 to the end of the war was Commander-in-Chief, Canadian Northwest Atlantic
Canadian Northwest Atlantic
Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command was the zone of operations during the Battle of the Atlantic that stretched from north of New York City to 47 degrees west. It was set up at the Atlantic Convoy Conference, held in Washington DC from 1-12 March 1943, and placed under the command of Rear-Admiral...
. He was the only Canadian to command an Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
theatre of operations
Theater (warfare)
In warfare, a theater, is defined as an area or place within which important military events occur or are progressing. The entirety of the air, land, and sea area that is or that may potentially become involved in war operations....
during World War I or World War II.
Early years to the end of World War I
Leonard Warren Murray was born at GrantonGranton, Nova Scotia
Granton is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Pictou County. It is the birthplace of Leonard W. Murray.-References:*...
, Nova Scotia on 22 June 1896. His father Simon Dickson Murray (1859–1936) was a direct descendant of the Scottish immigrants who travelled to Pictou County on the Hector
Hector (ship)
The Hector was a ship famous for having brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773.- Career :A full rigged Fluyt, the Hector was employed in local trade in waters of the British Isles as well as the immigrant trade to North America, having made at least one trip ca...
in 1773, and his mother was Jane Falconer (1868–1968). Simon was mid-level manager in various enterprises in Pictou Landing
Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia
Pictou Landing is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Pictou County .-References:*...
, and Leonard grew up close to the water. At 14 years of age, Murray left Pictou Academy
Pictou Academy
Pictou Academy , founded in 1816 by the late Dr. Thomas McCulloch, is a secondary school in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Prior to the twentieth century, it was a liberal nonsectarian college, a grammar school, an academy and then a secondary school. Pictou Academy's current principal is James Ryan. The...
to join the first intake of 21 recruits into the Royal Naval College of Canada
Royal Naval College of Canada
The Royal Naval College of Canada was a naval college set up in Canada by the Royal Navy; it existed from 1911 to 1922. The school educated about 150 students until it closed due to declining numbers and cuts from Ottawa. The aim of the college was to instruct recruits a course of study that...
in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, which had just been created by the Naval Service Act
Naval Service Act of 1910
Naval Service Act of 1910 was the federal act that gave rise to the Royal Canadian Navy to replace the role of Royal Navy in protecting the sovereignty of the Canadian waters....
of 4 May 1910.
The first winter at the naval college was absolute hell, we had no uniforms, we arrived in what we stood up in and had to send home for further clothing. A case of measles broke out very shortly and we were quarantined, and the only time we got out of the college was when we went to the skating rink to play hockey; and that was a great relief - Murray.
Immediately after graduating in January 1913, he served as a Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on the Royal Navy vessel on duty protecting British interests in the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, and then aboard . At the outbreak of World War I he was assigned to the protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
HMCS Niobe, the largest ship in the Canadian navy during World War I. Four of his classmates were sent to the Royal Navy cruiser and were killed off the coast of South America on 1 November 1914 at the Battle of Coronel
Battle of Coronel
The First World War naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher...
– thereby becoming the first Canadian-service casualties of World War I. Murray served briefly as Flotilla Gunnery Officer on HMCS Margaret and then in February 1916 was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
while aboard . He spent the last two years of World War I as Assistant Navigating Officer on from January 1917 as Lieutenant, where he set up troop convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s across the Atlantic to outwit German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s – invaluable experience for the Battle of the Atlantic more than 20 years later. Murray ended the war in the North Sea aboard , and witnessed the surrender of the German fleet at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
.
Between the wars
After World War I, Murray served briefly on , and then on the newly-commissioned HMS CalcuttaHMS Calcutta (D82)
HMS Calcutta was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the Indian city of Calcutta. She was part of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers.She was laid down by Vickers Limited in 1917, and launched on 9 July 1918...
under the distinguished British Captain Percy Noble, from whom Murray learned the basic skills of command, and who eighteen years later served opposite Murray on the receiving end of the convoys as Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Command
Western Approaches Command
Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsible for the safety of British shipping in the Western...
. Following a short tour aboard HMS Crescent
HMS Crescent (1892)
HMS Crescent was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. Crescent, and her sister ship Royal Arthur, were built to a slightly modified design and are sometimes considered a separate class. She was built at Portsmouth and launched on 30 March 1892. As at 11 January 1895 she was leaving Australia...
, Murray was assigned to as Navigation Officer, until Aurora was paid off in 1921 due to naval budget cuts. Leonard married Jean Chaplin Scott in Westmount, Quebec on 10 October 1921, and with the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
depleted of ships on which he could serve, at this point he considered a civilian career, in 1924 qualifying as master of a foreign-going vessel. Deciding to remain with the armed forces, Murray joined many of his colleagues and spent the inter-war years alternating between shore assignments as a training officer with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve .-Foundation:...
, and serving aboard Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
vessels, which in Murray's case included (during a tour in 1923 in Turkey where he befriended Lord Louis Mountbatten), and . Understandably, this provided Murray and his peers, including Percy W. Nelles
Percy W. Nelles
Percy Walker Nelles, CB was a flag officer in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Chief of the Naval Staff from 1934 to 1944. He oversaw the massive wartime expansion of the RCN and the transformation of Canada into a major player in the Battle of the Atlantic. During his tenure U-boats raided the...
, with a distinct anglophile and, in matters military, Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
bias. In January 1925, Murray was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and spent two years at the Canadian Navy's main training base at HMCS Stadacona
CFB Halifax
Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....
. In 1927, Murray returned to the UK where he did a tour aboard and then spent 1928 studying at the Royal Naval Staff College
Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most...
at Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. During a simulation exercise at the College, Murray broke new ground by planning large convoys - convoys that were regarded at the time as "almost suicidal", but which had become normal by the time of the Battle of the Atlantic. Upon return to Canada in January 1929, Murray was promoted to Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and became the senior naval officer at CFB Esquimalt
CFB Esquimalt
Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt is Canada's Pacific Coast naval base and home port to Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific Headquarters....
. In notes for a lecture to RMC Kingston
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in 1932, his continuing interest in the offensive merit of convoys over patrols is evident:
"The institution of a system of convoy requires a reorientation of the protective forces. Instead of patrolling the focal areas [where vessels congregate near ports or narrow passages], the group of ships forming the convoy is escorted by an armed escort capable of dealing with any possible scale of attack. This may mean that an increase in the protective force is necessary, but ... the protective force is more definite and concrete than in the patrolling method. In the convoy method ... it is not possible for an enemy to attack without laying herself open to attack and possible destruction" - Admiral Murray.
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
Headquarters in Ottawa, before setting back to sea for two years, leading the small fleet of East Coast destroyers from the bridge of his first operational command, HMCS Saguenay
HMCS Saguenay (D79)
HMCS Saguenay was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1931-1945.She was similar to the Royal Navy's A-class and initially wore the pennant D79, changed in 1940 to I79....
. At this point, in mid-1934, Murray was appointed to a new position of Senior Naval Officer, Halifax, a position that combined the Commander of the East Coast with the Command of the Naval Dockyard
CFB Halifax
Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....
in Halifax. In June 1936 Murray was sent back to the UK to work in the Admiralty Operations Division, and in December 1936 he started his final tour with the Royal Navy serving as Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
aboard the former battleship , where he participated in the 1937 Coronation Fleet Review. In August 1938, in the middle of a final year at the Imperial Defence College, Murray was promoted to Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
, and so it was that, on the eve of World War II when the Royal Navy was mobilized, Murray returned to Ottawa as a Captain, and Director Naval Operations and Training.
World War II and the Battle of the Atlantic
At the outbreak of World War II, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. From this HQs position Murray played a key role in the build-up of the Navy to its eventual wartime strength of approximately 332 vessels, including crossing Canada to recruit retired Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officers back into the Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, and advocating for the "small-ship anti-submarine" investment strategy that was eventually so successful. In March 1940 he made a secret visit to the UK to negotiate the construction of destroyers in the UK for the Canadian Navy, and subsequently was a founding member of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence
Permanent Joint Board on Defense
The Permanent Joint Board on Defence was established by Canada and the United States on August 17, 1940 by joint announcement of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King at Ogdensburg, New York as the senior advisory body on continental military defence of...
. It was while he was working for the PJBD that he renewed his friendship with Commander James "Chummy" Prentice
James D. Prentice
Captain James Douglas 'Chummy' Prentice was a Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy officer who served with distinction in the Battle of the Atlantic...
, who was shortly thereafter assigned the position of Senior Officer, Canadian Corvettes under Murray. Both men would work closely together until the spring of 1944. In October 1940, he went back to sea briefly as Captain of HMCS Assiniboine and Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
Commanding Halifax Force, effectively in command of the five Canadian warships that were dispatched to the UK in January 1941 to serve convoy duty. Back ashore in the UK, Murray was given the unusual title of Commodore Commanding Canadian Ships, and liaised closely with the Admiralty in the planning of an Atlantic strategy, including the resolution of jurisdictional matters relating to the Dominion of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
.
On return to Canada he was promoted to full Commodore on 31 May 1941, and on 13 June 1941 he was put in charge of the Newfoundland Escort Force
Newfoundland Escort Force
The Newfoundland Escort Force was an Allied formation of escort ships during the Battle of the Atlantic. Created in 1941, the force consisted of ships from the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and United States Navy under the command of Commodore Leonard W. Murray .In June 1941, the British decided...
(NEF) based out of St John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
. This was the most important operational mandate given to a Canadian navy officer until that point, in full command of 6 Canadian destroyers, 7 British destroyers, and 21 corvettes, and with responsibility for convoy escort from New York out as far as the transfer point to UK escorts south of Iceland. In recognition of this increased role, Murray was subsequently appointed Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
on 2 December 1941.
"Conditions were terrible that winter. Groups worked on a 35 day cycle which entailed 29 days away from St John’s, 27 days away from fresh bread, 25 days away from fresh meat, added to which at the northern end of their beat there was no sunlight to speak of in the winter. We had to revert to the old rations of Nelson’s time, barreled salt beef with lime juice or tomato juice to scare away scurvy" - Admiral Murray.
| The St Pierre and Miquelon "incident" |
|---|
| While based in Newfoundland, Admiral Murray hosted a visit from the Free French Admiral Muselier Émile Muselier Emile Henry Muselier was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces during World War II. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of Vichy France by adopting the Cross of Lorraine, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French... . Acting on orders from the Admiralty, Murray gave Muselier temporary command of three French corvettes and a submarine that were assigned to Murray's fleet, for passage to Halifax. On return from Halifax, Muselier took the vessels to Vichy Vichy France Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic... -controlled St Pierre and Miquelon, and on 24 December 1941 raised the Free French flag to claim the islands for General Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969.... , thereby creating a diplomatic incident between France, Canada and the USA. Murray was later asked to account for his role in this adventure - but steadfastly claimed (as did Muselier) that he had no part in it. Nevertheless, in 1946 Murray was awarded the Legion d'Honneur Légion d'honneur The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802... by the Government of France, for "eminent services rendered to the cause of Free France at the time of the rallying of the inhabitants of St Pierre and Miquelon". |
The NEF was reorganized in February 1942 as the Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...
(MOEF). On 9 September 1942, Murray was appointed to Commanding Officer Atlantic Coast, with his Headquarters in Halifax, and effective command over 322 armed ships. As a direct result of the Atlantic Convoy Conference
Canadian Northwest Atlantic
Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command was the zone of operations during the Battle of the Atlantic that stretched from north of New York City to 47 degrees west. It was set up at the Atlantic Convoy Conference, held in Washington DC from 1-12 March 1943, and placed under the command of Rear-Admiral...
of 1–12 March 1943, where it was agreed that the US Navy would concentrate on the South Atlantic leaving Canada and the UK to cover the North Atlantic, on 1 April 1943 Murray was made Commander-in-Chief Canadian Northwest Atlantic
Canadian Northwest Atlantic
Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command was the zone of operations during the Battle of the Atlantic that stretched from north of New York City to 47 degrees west. It was set up at the Atlantic Convoy Conference, held in Washington DC from 1-12 March 1943, and placed under the command of Rear-Admiral...
. Still headquartered in Halifax, thereafter he commanded all Allied air and naval forces involved in convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
protection between Canada and the coast of Ireland until the end of the war with Germany in 1945.
In order to encourage the captains of the merchant ships of all countries which carry the lifeblood of the U.K., I made it a point to attend the briefing conference of all captains and chief engineers before their departure. During the winter of '42-'43, when sinkings were at their worst, I could see when I told them of the measures by escort and air cover that were being taken for their protection and safety; I could see that they knew very well and that they knew I knew in spite of my brave words, that anything up to 25 per cent of them would probably not arrive in the U.K. in their own ships, and that probably half of that number would not arrive in the U.K. at all. But there was never a waver in their resolve - Admiral Murray.
A personal highlight of this period occurred on 14 September 1943, when Murray gave an impromptu guided tour of Halifax to the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. Churchill and his family, together with the First Sea Lord
Dudley Pound
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers Pound GCB OM GCVO RN was a British naval officer who served as First Sea Lord, professional head of the Royal Navy from June 1939 to September 1943.- Early life :...
, boarded in Halifax harbour for their return voyage to the United Kingdom following consultations with US President Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. Murray was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1943 King's Birthday Honours, and Companion of the Order of the Bath the following year.
As the Allies gained the upper hand in the Battle of the Atlantic throughout 1943 and 1944, attacks on convoys diminished and the amount of escort cover was reduced, but the hard work of planning and organizing convoys never ceased. By May 1944, British participation in convoy escorts was withdrawn entirely, and Canada was left with sole responsibility until September 1944. Murray's moment of singular pride came in this period, when the largest convoy of World War II, HX 300
Convoy HX 300
Convoy HX-300 was the 300th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax to Liverpool. These HX convoys had been established shortly after declaration of war; and the first sailed on 16 September 1939...
sailed for the UK via New York on 17 July 1944, with 167 merchant ships (1500000 LT (1,524,075 t)). It arrived in the UK, without incident, on 3 August 1944.
VE Day and early retirement
Admiral Murray was controversially blamed for allowing sailors shore leave in Halifax on VE DayVictory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, a decision that is generally considered to have contributed to the Halifax Riot
Halifax Riot
The Halifax VE-Day riots, 7–8 May 1945 in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia began as a celebration of the World War II Victory in Europe. This rapidly declined into a rampage by several thousand servicemen, merchant seamen and civilians, who looted the City of Halifax...
of 7–8 May 1945. James Lorimer Ilsley
James Lorimer Ilsley
James Lorimer Ilsley, PC, KC was a Canadian politician and jurist.He was born in Somerset, Nova Scotia, the son of Randel Ilsley and Catherine Caldwell. Ilsley was educated at Acadia University and Dalhousie University and was admitted to the Nova Scotia bar in 1916. In 1919, he married Evelyn Smith...
, the Acting Prime Minister of Canada, responded quickly to the situation and on 10 May appointed Justice Kellock
Roy Kellock
Roy Lindsay Kellock, was a Canadian Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Born in Perth, Ontario, he graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. in 1915. Justice Kellock was called to bar in 1920 and appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 1942...
to chair a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into the disorders. On 12 May, Murray was abruptly removed from his command; and the next day a separate Naval Board of Inquiry under Admiral Brodeur was appointed to investigate naval participation in the disorders. The Kellock Commission placed considerable blame upon the Navy and in particular upon the Admiral, for not having exercised better control over the sailors' celebrations ashore. The Naval Inquiry's findings were more balanced, finding that the riot
Halifax Riot
The Halifax VE-Day riots, 7–8 May 1945 in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia began as a celebration of the World War II Victory in Europe. This rapidly declined into a rampage by several thousand servicemen, merchant seamen and civilians, who looted the City of Halifax...
was caused by several factors, including a failure in the naval command. Murray himself felt that responsibility lay mainly with the civil authorities of Halifax, and he was frustrated that the Kellock Commission effectively placed the Navy on trial without providing him or his officers with an opportunity to defend themselves. He asked for a court martial to clear his name, but this was never agreed. The Government made an attempt to leave the Admiral with his honour intact:
"It would be a regrettable thing if, resultant upon the Halifax disturbances, the truly great services of this officer and those under his command were to be forgotten by the people of Canada."
But the Admiral was never assigned another command. Concluding that he was being held up as a scapegoat, and feeling bitter that the country and the Navy had abandoned him suddenly at the moment of the Navy's greatest accomplishment, Murray left Canada for the United Kingdom in September 1945, and officially retired from the Navy on 14 March 1946.
Later years
Murray remained active in his retirement, qualifying as a lawyer on 17 November 1949, and with his specialty in maritime law he represented the British government at the 1950 enquiry into the accidental sinking of the . He was involved with his local church, and served as a rural councillor as well as on school boards. His love of the sea was kept alive by keen membership in the Bar Yacht Club where he was racing Captain for ten years, and a leadership role with the Sea ScoutsSea Scouts (The Scout Association)
Sea Scouts were first formed in the United Kingdom in 1909 as a branch of The Scout Association, and have been a feature of the Scouting programme ever since....
—coincidentally carried back to Canada where a Canadian Sea Cadet Corps in New Glasgow
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait....
, near his home town, is named in his honour (RCSCC 87 Admiral Murray). Murray stopped practising law in 1960 to care better for his ailing wife, who died in 1962. Following a chance meeting on a Greek cruise, Leonard remarried on 23 August 1963, in Buxton to an ophthalmic surgeon Antonina Schcheyteenin—who quickly came to be known as Nina Murray. He dabbled in British politics, becoming a member of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and ran unsuccessfully as a candidate in municipal council elections in Buxton in 1965, before turning his attention to a spirited debate with the Canadian military establishment, the media and Prime Minister Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
wherein he opposed the 1966 integration of the Canadian Armed Forces. Although clearly feeling that Canada had abandoned him following the Halifax Riot
Halifax Riot
The Halifax VE-Day riots, 7–8 May 1945 in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia began as a celebration of the World War II Victory in Europe. This rapidly declined into a rampage by several thousand servicemen, merchant seamen and civilians, who looted the City of Halifax...
, Murray maintained his ties to Canada and last visited in 1970, when he participated in the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Leonard died peacefully in Buxton on 25 November 1971, and his ashes were placed in St Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church (Halifax)
St. Paul's Church is an evangelical Anglican church in downtown Halifax Nova Scotia within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island of the Anglican Church of Canada. It is located at the south end of the Grand Parade, an open square in downtown Halifax with Halifax City Hall at the...
in Halifax on 17 September 1972. His memory lived on in the Canadian Navy, where the Admiral L.W. Murray Trophy for Gunnery Proficiency was awarded annually at least until the early 1970s. Since his death, a number of commemorative steps have been taken, including the placing of a memorial in his honour in Pictou, a collection of his medals and related naval artifacts in the Canadian Naval Operations School in Halifax, the naming of a Maritimes Branch of the Royal Canadian Naval Association, and the naming of several naval buildings.
Quote
"Except for the few months at sea in Assiniboine, my war work was a solid slog, mostly at a desk, averaging 15 hours a day with frequently a full 24. My job was to obtain the greatest possible result from relatively inexperienced personnel. There was little opportunity for anyone to step on another’s toes. They were spread too thinly and there was a more responsible job for each as soon as he felt confident of his ability to take it on. In the autumn of 1941 young volunteer reserve officers who had never seen salt water before the war took command of corvettes manned by 88 men—the number of white and black keys on a piano and each with his own peculiar note—and took their full part in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Experience had taught me this: to find out what you’re capable of, it is only necessary to get a chance to do it—and someone else must have enough confidence in you to provide that chance. In my dealings with the young RCNVR captains I did my best to give them the opportunity to find their own feet and they did it. Once having tasted success they never looked back. What a blessing that we had the bright young peoples to accept this kind of responsibility" - Admiral Murray.
Honours and decorations
- Companion of the Order of the Bath 8 June 1944
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire 2 June 1943
- Commandeur de la Legion d'HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(France) 1946 - Croix de Guerre avec palmesCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(France) 1946 - Commander of the Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(United States) 1946 - King Haakon VII's Cross of Liberty (Norway) 1948
External links
- A look at Canada's navy
- Legion Magazine – The Rise of Leonard Murray
- Juno Beach Centre – Admiral L. W. Murray
- Canadian Encyclopedia – Murray, Leonard Warren
- Leonard Murray Memorial in Pictou County
- Canadian Navy bibliography
- Leonard Warren Murray Biography - ( 1896 – 1971 ), rear-admiral, Royal Canadian Navy