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| thomas_lodge_murray-prior_and_his_siblings [2025/01/25 15:18] – judith | thomas_lodge_murray-prior_and_his_siblings [2026/03/14 21:16] (current) – judith |
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| Thomas B. and Lizzie M-P had four children.\\ | Thomas B. and Lizzie M-P had four children.\\ |
| 1. **Thomas (Tom) Lodge Murray-Prior** (23 March 1912 - 26 October 2000) was the 6th consecutive Thomas Murray-Prior and the 2nd Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior. He was born in Brisbane. Tom lived at the only one of the family's family cattle properties left, [[maroon|Maroon]], until he was 7 or 8 years old. The family then moved to Southport where he attended [[https://www.tss.qld.edu.au/|The Southport School]]. They later moved to the Blue Mountains town of [[wp>Leura,_New_South_Wales|Leura]] in NSW because it was thought the clean mountain air would be of benefit to his brother [[vi_stan_and_hugh_m-p_and_their_families|Hugh]]'s poor health due to [[wp>polio|poliomyelitis]] affecting his leg. Tom L2 attended Leura State School then, when he was nearly 13 years old, [[wp>The_King%27s_School,_Parramatta|The King’s School]] as a boarder during 1925-29 (at the original site of the school in Parramatta), leaving after he obtained his Leaving Certificate. His adventurousness as a young boy led to an amazing trip with a friend in a self-made canoe down the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers, then out to sea and into Sydney harbour: for more, click [[canoe!]]\\ | 1. **Thomas (Tom) Lodge Murray-Prior** (23 March 1912 - 26 October 2000) was the 6th consecutive Thomas Murray-Prior and the 2nd Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior. He was born in Brisbane. Tom lived at the only one of the family's family cattle properties left, [[maroon|Maroon]], until he was 7 or 8 years old. The family then moved to Southport where he attended [[https://www.tss.qld.edu.au/|The Southport School]]. They later moved to the Blue Mountains town of [[wp>Leura,_New_South_Wales|Leura]] in NSW because it was thought the clean mountain air would be of benefit to his brother [[vi_stan_and_hugh_m-p_and_their_families|Hugh]]'s poor health due to [[wp>polio|poliomyelitis]] affecting his leg. Tom attended Leura State School then, when he was nearly 13 years old, [[wp>The_King%27s_School,_Parramatta|The King’s School]] as a boarder during 1925-29 (at the original site of the school in Parramatta), leaving after he obtained his Leaving Certificate. His adventurousness as a young boy led to an amazing trip with a friend in a self-made canoe down the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers, then out to sea and into Sydney harbour: for more, click [[canoe!]]\\ |
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| Tom's school record reveals the talents which he also displayed in later life. In his leaving certificate, he gained an A in Physics and Bs in Maths 1 and 2, Mechanics and English. Maths remained a love for all his life. He played rugby union, cricket, was in the athletics team, and excelled in both boxing and rowing. One example of his sporting prowess was that in 1929 he rowed as bow in the 1st IV. In his final year of school, he was also a ‘house monitor’ (prefect) of School House, King's original boarding house. When he left King's, his record there was summarised with the comment, 'A boy of good character whom we can recommend'.((The King's School, registered no. 1272, 1929))\\ | Tom's school record reveals the talents which he also displayed in later life. In his leaving certificate, he gained an A in Physics and Bs in Maths 1 and 2, Mechanics and English. Maths remained a love for all his life. He played rugby union, cricket, was in the athletics team, and excelled in both boxing and rowing. One example of his sporting prowess was that in 1929 he rowed as bow in the 1st IV. In his final year of school, he was also a ‘house monitor’ (prefect) of School House, King's original boarding house. When he left King's, his record there was summarised with the comment, 'A boy of good character whom we can recommend'.((The King's School, registered no. 1272, 1929))\\ |
| Photo [**scan again**] of Thomas L. and Lillian M-P with their eldest son - called Thomas of course! {{:tom_a_with_parents.jpeg?250|}}((Provenance of all following photos: T.A. & M.T. M-P))\\ | Photo [**scan again**] of Thomas L. and Lillian M-P with their eldest son - called Thomas of course! {{:tom_a_with_parents.jpeg?250|}}((Provenance of all following photos: T.A. & M.T. M-P))\\ |
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| Tom had an adventurous war, serving for a time in the South African air force, in the UK, in Europe, in India (Bombay), USA (San Francisco), Dalby, Queensland and Darwin. For a listing of his activities, click on [[Air Force Experiences]]((Tom's War records, provenance TA & MT M-P. He is listed in the (British) Forces Air Records as Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, Aus405024, Pilot Officer, 1943,60 Squadron)) Like his mother,Tom L2 was a keen photographer, and took photos whenever he could, especially in exotic locations like Egypt, and when involved in notable events like a visit from French resistance leader, [[wp>Charles_de_Gaulle|Charles de Gaulle]]. He rose to become Flight Lieutenant and in 1943 was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross).((//The Argus//, 26 March 1943, p.3; http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/20459.php; Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 1 April 1943; RAAF service record.)) His citation for his DFC explained that he received it because he had 'taken part in many operational missions, the majority of which have been long distance flights over enemy territory and many under difficult and dangerous conditions.' The citation added that his work was 'consistently of a high order' and that he 'always set a fine example' to others.((Honours and Awards, Distinguished Flying Cross. Pilot Officer Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, provenance T.A. M-P.)) For three of his stories about the war, as told to his son, click on [[war stories]]\\ | Tom had an adventurous war, serving for a time in the South African air force, in the UK, in Europe, in India (Bombay), USA (San Francisco), Dalby, Queensland and Darwin. For a listing of his activities, click on [[Air Force Experiences]]((Tom's War records, provenance TA & MT M-P, compiled by MT M-P. He is listed in the (British) Forces Air Records as Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, Aus405024, Pilot Officer, 1943,60 Squadron)) Like his mother,Tom L2 was a keen photographer, and took photos whenever he could, especially in exotic locations like Egypt, and when involved in notable events like a visit from French resistance leader, [[wp>Charles_de_Gaulle|Charles de Gaulle]]. He rose to become Flight Lieutenant and in 1943 was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). For a full list of his medals, click on [[Medals]]((//The Argus//, 26 March 1943, p.3; http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/20459.php; Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 1 April 1943; RAAF service record, summary by MT M-P.)) His citation for his DFC explained that he received it because he had 'taken part in many operational missions, the majority of which have been long distance flights over enemy territory and many under difficult and dangerous conditions.' The citation added that his work was 'consistently of a high order' and that he 'always set a fine example' to others.((Honours and Awards, Distinguished Flying Cross. Pilot Officer Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior, provenance T.A. M-P.)) For three of his stories about the war, as told to his son, click on [[war stories]]\\ |
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| {{:toms_parents_dfc.jpg?300|}} Thomas and Lillian after his award of the DFC.\\ | {{:toms_parents_dfc.jpg?300|}} Thomas and Lillian after his award of the DFC.\\ |
| In Southport, Tom, Lillian and their sons lived with his mother until he bought a large newsagency in which both he and Lillian worked. The newsagency had a residence on top and was next to the Southport railway station. This busy station was not only the final destination for passengers but also for sheep and cattle who were offloaded into holding yards before their visit to the local abattoir. The only toilet or ‘dunny’ in the building was out the back near a small chook pen. Upstairs had 2 bedrooms, kitchen, lounge and a verandah which overlooked the railway station, Scarborough Street and the cattle/sheep holding yards. During their final year there, their home was even more cramped as Lillian’s ailing mother, Anne Newitt, lived with them. After Tom's mother died at Southport from cancer in 1949, he sold the business. In c.1950-51, he, Lillian and their two sons moved to [[wp>Bundaberg|Bundaberg, Queensland]]((//South Coast Bulletin//, 17 September 1952, p.24.)) Vi remained in Southport and bought a very large house in Muir Street, on top of a hill with great views.\\ | In Southport, Tom, Lillian and their sons lived with his mother until he bought a large newsagency in which both he and Lillian worked. The newsagency had a residence on top and was next to the Southport railway station. This busy station was not only the final destination for passengers but also for sheep and cattle who were offloaded into holding yards before their visit to the local abattoir. The only toilet or ‘dunny’ in the building was out the back near a small chook pen. Upstairs had 2 bedrooms, kitchen, lounge and a verandah which overlooked the railway station, Scarborough Street and the cattle/sheep holding yards. During their final year there, their home was even more cramped as Lillian’s ailing mother, Anne Newitt, lived with them. After Tom's mother died at Southport from cancer in 1949, he sold the business. In c.1950-51, he, Lillian and their two sons moved to [[wp>Bundaberg|Bundaberg, Queensland]]((//South Coast Bulletin//, 17 September 1952, p.24.)) Vi remained in Southport and bought a very large house in Muir Street, on top of a hill with great views.\\ |
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| In Bundaberg, Tom bought the ‘China Arcade’ from relatives of his wife. He soon expanded the business, from not only selling top quality chinaware but also jewelry, clocks and watches, both new and needing repair. He moved the business to a larger and more strategically placed shop in the middle of Bourbong Street, Bundaberg's main shopping centre. Both were very well known and liked in the town and had an active social life: Lillian enjoyed meeting people and was respected as a good housewife who kept her home spotless. Tom especially bonded with those who shared his great love of golf. He would work in the shop five and a half days a week and on Saturday would religiously leave in time to play golf at the 18-hole course at the Bundaberg Golf Club. He was a good golfer. He also played on Sundays, when possible. In those days, enjoying the full benefits of the 19th hole every Saturday and/or Sunday was very common. With no way to measure breath alcohol, there were no laws about its strength. If you did imbibe too much on the occasional Saturday and arrived home a little late but very happy, the chances of losing your driving license was very slim. Why? Because, then, in a relatively small town if you were unlucky enough to be pulled over by a policeman that you didn’t know, you had to pass a driving sobriety test. This consisted of (a) being able to touch your nose with the forefinger of your right or left hand and/or (b) after the policeman had chalk drawn a straight line in the road or with a stick in the dirt, you then had to be able to walk in a relatively straight line. How Tom managed to drive home on a few occasions was interesting. A very good navigator indeed!\\ | In Bundaberg, Tom bought the ‘China Arcade’ from relatives of his wife.Tom, trading as China Arcade, left his trace in the archives when he took legal action in 1951 to recover a small debt.((State Record of NSW, Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior t/a [trading as] China Arcade, //Small Debts Registers Index// Citation: NRS-2881-2-[10/17]-10/17 | Date: 13/12/1951)) He soon expanded the business, from not only selling top quality chinaware but also jewelry, clocks and watches, both new and needing repair. He moved the business to a larger and more strategically placed shop in the middle of Bourbong Street, Bundaberg's main shopping centre. Both were very well known and liked in the town and had an active social life: Lillian enjoyed meeting people and was respected as a good housewife who kept her home spotless. Tom especially bonded with those who shared his great love of golf. He would work in the shop five and a half days a week and on Saturday would religiously leave in time to play golf at the 18-hole course at the Bundaberg Golf Club. He was a good golfer. He also played on Sundays, when possible. In those days, enjoying the full benefits of the 19th hole every Saturday and/or Sunday was very common. With no way to measure breath alcohol, there were no laws about its strength. If you did imbibe too much on the occasional Saturday and arrived home a little late but very happy, the chances of losing your driving license was very slim. Why? Because, then, in a relatively small town if you were unlucky enough to be pulled over by a policeman that you didn’t know, you had to pass a driving sobriety test. This consisted of (a) being able to touch your nose with the forefinger of your right or left hand and/or (b) after the policeman had chalk drawn a straight line in the road or with a stick in the dirt, you then had to be able to walk in a relatively straight line. How Tom managed to drive home on a few occasions was interesting. A very good navigator indeed!\\ |
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| While Tom and Lillian enjoyed life in Bundaberg, they also experienced 2 disastrous life events: 1) In 1952, after having settled into their new home in Churchill Street, West Bundaberg, Lillian again gave birth prematurely. Their baby Anne died in Bundaberg's Lady Chelmsford Hospital on 30 July, having lived for not quite two days.((Queensland death certificate 2740/1952)) It was a devastating blow as Tom and Lillian were so looking forward to their first daughter; and 2) One night in 1957, a fire destroyed everything in the China Arcade. Even worse was that they had forgotten to renew the business insurance some 1 or 2 weeks earlier. No payout! Electrical faults commonly started fires at the time.\\ | While Tom and Lillian enjoyed life in Bundaberg, they also experienced 2 disastrous life events: 1) In 1952, after having settled into their new home in Churchill Street, West Bundaberg, Lillian again gave birth prematurely. Their baby Anne died in Bundaberg's Lady Chelmsford Hospital on 30 July, having lived for not quite two days.((Queensland death certificate 2740/1952)) It was a devastating blow as Tom and Lillian were so looking forward to their first daughter; and 2) One night in 1957, a fire destroyed everything in the China Arcade. Even worse was that they had forgotten to renew the business insurance some 1 or 2 weeks earlier. No payout! Electrical faults commonly started fires at the time.\\ |
| When World War II broke out, he attempted to join the Royal Australian Air Force but was rejected due to colour blindness. On 8 May 1940 he enlisted in the 2/1st Australian Anti-Aircraft Regiment. On enlisting he gave his occupation as 'sugar cane student' and that he had military experience with the Kings School cadets.(({{https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4852020}})) Stan's unit embarked on the //[[wiki>SS_Orcades_(1937)|Orcades]]// from [[wiki>Suez_Port|Port Tewfik]], Egypt as part of the force code named as 'Stepsister', which was the subject of heated arguments between Churchill and Curtin about the deployment of Australian forces returning from the Middle East.((E.B. Starrett, 1994, 'The force code named 'Stepsister', //Reveille//, September/October, p.10.)) Eventually Curtin won the argument and the //Orcades// was tasked to offload troops to defend Indonesia. The //Orcades// was off the southern tip of Sumatra on Friday 13 February 1942 (Stan's 27th birthday) without sighting or being attacked by Japanese planes. On the 15th, units including two troops of the 2/1st Light AA, one of which was Stan’s, were disembarked via a small coastal vessel and landed at Telukbetung (now called [[wiki>Bandar_Lampung|Bandar Lampung]]) in southern Sumatra. They were tasked to defend the airfield at [[wiki>Palembang|Palembang]] (some 500 km by rail) north of the port. Fortunately they were notified that evening that the airfield had already been captured and were extremely lucky to be able to reboard the //Orcades// (which had seen their [[wiki>Signal_lamp|Aldis lamp]] signals and so had not left) on the morning of the 16th. They reached Batavia (now [[wiki>Jakarta|Jakarta]]) on 17th, where units began disembarking for the defence of Java. Once again, luckily for Stan's regiment, as they began disembarking on the 19th, they were notified to stay aboard; they later learned that Darwin had been bombed that day and their unit was needed to provide air defence for Darwin.To avoid Japanese submarines, the //Orcades// took Stan and his unit down the Western Australian coast and across the Great Australian Bight; they disembarked in Adelaide. After time at Darwin and the [[wiki>Atherton,_Queensland|Atherton Tablelands]], his unit was involved in the invasion of Borneo, landing at Balikpapan in what is now East ([[wiki>Kalimantan|Kalimantan]]). At that time, Stan held the rank of Warrant Officer (Class 2). He was demobilised on 14 January 1946.\\ | When World War II broke out, he attempted to join the Royal Australian Air Force but was rejected due to colour blindness. On 8 May 1940 he enlisted in the 2/1st Australian Anti-Aircraft Regiment. On enlisting he gave his occupation as 'sugar cane student' and that he had military experience with the Kings School cadets.(({{https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4852020}})) Stan's unit embarked on the //[[wiki>SS_Orcades_(1937)|Orcades]]// from [[wiki>Suez_Port|Port Tewfik]], Egypt as part of the force code named as 'Stepsister', which was the subject of heated arguments between Churchill and Curtin about the deployment of Australian forces returning from the Middle East.((E.B. Starrett, 1994, 'The force code named 'Stepsister', //Reveille//, September/October, p.10.)) Eventually Curtin won the argument and the //Orcades// was tasked to offload troops to defend Indonesia. The //Orcades// was off the southern tip of Sumatra on Friday 13 February 1942 (Stan's 27th birthday) without sighting or being attacked by Japanese planes. On the 15th, units including two troops of the 2/1st Light AA, one of which was Stan’s, were disembarked via a small coastal vessel and landed at Telukbetung (now called [[wiki>Bandar_Lampung|Bandar Lampung]]) in southern Sumatra. They were tasked to defend the airfield at [[wiki>Palembang|Palembang]] (some 500 km by rail) north of the port. Fortunately they were notified that evening that the airfield had already been captured and were extremely lucky to be able to reboard the //Orcades// (which had seen their [[wiki>Signal_lamp|Aldis lamp]] signals and so had not left) on the morning of the 16th. They reached Batavia (now [[wiki>Jakarta|Jakarta]]) on 17th, where units began disembarking for the defence of Java. Once again, luckily for Stan's regiment, as they began disembarking on the 19th, they were notified to stay aboard; they later learned that Darwin had been bombed that day and their unit was needed to provide air defence for Darwin.To avoid Japanese submarines, the //Orcades// took Stan and his unit down the Western Australian coast and across the Great Australian Bight; they disembarked in Adelaide. After time at Darwin and the [[wiki>Atherton,_Queensland|Atherton Tablelands]], his unit was involved in the invasion of Borneo, landing at Balikpapan in what is now East ([[wiki>Kalimantan|Kalimantan]]). At that time, Stan held the rank of Warrant Officer (Class 2). He was demobilised on 14 January 1946.\\ |
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| Stan returned to far north Queensland, where he was thought to have bought a corner store in Bunda Street, Cairns. His children recall him talking about the people coming in to buy their packet of Bex every day: [addiction to this medicine caused kidney failure], that was why he would never allow 'headache' powders in the house. Facing competition from Coles and disillusioned by dishonest customers, he sold the shop and, it is thought, moved to Munro Estate to work with Richard Percival (Percy) Rudkin (a former Sergeant in the 5th Light Horse), who introduced him to his niece, Betty Rudkin. Betty's father was Thomas Sidney (Sid) Rudkin, 3rd Battalion, 1st AIF and later manager of Nyngan and Temora Agricultural Farms for the NSW Department of Agriculture. It appears that Betty's father, Sid, may have met Stan's father, Thomas Bertram M-P, as Betty remembers her father telling the family he met a man with one eye who was riding a horse, while they were holidaying in Leura. Stan purchased a cane farm on the north-eastern bank of the Josephine Creek bridge, Pawngilly (near [[wiki>Innisfail,_Queensland|Innisfail]]). He and Betty were married in a small ceremony at St Albans Anglican Church, Innisfail on 1 December 1951. Later they purchased another farm, diagonally across, on the south-western bank of the Josephine. They sold the farms in 1973 and moved to Pin Gin Hill outside of Innisfail, where Stan had various jobs until he died in a level crossing smash with a cane train outside of Innisfail on the 1 August 1994. Betty later moved to Cairns, staying at Heritage Gardens Retirement Village in Earlville, Cairns before moving to Farnorah Residential Aged Care, Cairns. She died on 28 May 2017 in Cairns Hospital following an operation to mend a fractured femur. Stan was an active member of the local Babinda and Bartle Frere community. He was a foundation member of the Babinda RSL, the Babinda Memorial Hall Committee and the Babinda Show Association, all of which involved active participation of RSL members. He held various executive roles in all these and was also an active member of [[http://www.legacy.com.au|Legacy]].\\ | Stan returned to far north Queensland, where he bought a corner store in Bunda Street, Cairns. A Christmas card from him to his Aunt Gracie in 1947 has his address as 153 Bunda Street, Cairns.((Rosa Praed papers MSS8386, Box 18, item 2256?)) His children recall him talking about the people coming in to buy their packet of Bex every day: [addiction to this medicine caused kidney failure], that was why he would never allow 'headache' powders in the house. Facing competition from Coles and disillusioned by dishonest customers, he sold the shop and, it is thought, moved to Munro Estate to work with Richard Percival (Percy) Rudkin (a former Sergeant in the 5th Light Horse), who introduced him to his niece, Betty Rudkin. Betty's father was Thomas Sidney (Sid) Rudkin, 3rd Battalion, 1st AIF and later manager of Nyngan and Temora Agricultural Farms for the NSW Department of Agriculture. It appears that Betty's father, Sid, may have met Stan's father, Thomas Bertram M-P, as Betty remembers her father telling the family he met a man with one eye who was riding a horse, while they were holidaying in Leura. Stan purchased a cane farm on the north-eastern bank of the Josephine Creek bridge, Pawngilly (near [[wiki>Innisfail,_Queensland|Innisfail]]). He and Betty were married in a small ceremony at St Albans Anglican Church, Innisfail on 1 December 1951. Later they purchased another farm, diagonally across, on the south-western bank of the Josephine. They sold the farms in 1973 and moved to Pin Gin Hill outside of Innisfail, where Stan had various jobs until he died in a level crossing smash with a cane train outside of Innisfail on the 1 August 1994. Betty later moved to Cairns, staying at Heritage Gardens Retirement Village in Earlville, Cairns before moving to Farnorah Residential Aged Care, Cairns. She died on 28 May 2017 in Cairns Hospital following an operation to mend a fractured femur. Stan was an active member of the local Babinda and Bartle Frere community. He was a foundation member of the Babinda RSL, the Babinda Memorial Hall Committee and the Babinda Show Association, all of which involved active participation of RSL members. He held various executive roles in all these and was also an active member of [[http://www.legacy.com.au|Legacy]].\\ |
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| Stan and Betty had a son and daughter both of whom married; the latter has three children. His daughter-in-law’s parents had experience in war that echoed much of Stan’s. William (Bill) O'Connor enlisted in the 2/2 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment and Ellen O’Connor (nee Woods) in the 2/2nd Australian General Hospital, with both serving in the Middle East. In a twist of fate, Ellen was also in the 'Stepsister' force, travelling back from the Middle East. Her unit was offloaded in Java, only to be re-embarked and returned to Australia because their transport ship (to move the hospital) had been captured.\\ | Stan and Betty had a son and daughter both of whom married; the latter has three children. His daughter-in-law’s parents had experience in war that echoed much of Stan’s. William (Bill) O'Connor enlisted in the 2/2 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment and Ellen O’Connor (nee Woods) in the 2/2nd Australian General Hospital, with both serving in the Middle East. In a twist of fate, Ellen was also in the 'Stepsister' force, travelling back from the Middle East. Her unit was offloaded in Java, only to be re-embarked and returned to Australia because their transport ship (to move the hospital) had been captured.\\ |