Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Sir Murray William James Bourchier, CMG, DSO, VD (4 April 1881 – 16 December 1937) was an Australian soldier and politician. He was Deputy Premier of Victoria from April 1935 until June 1936.

Early life

Murray was the eldest son of Edward and Francis Bourchier, owners of the Woodland Park property near Strathmerton, Victoria. He was educated privately in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and afterwards worked at Woodland Park.

Military career

World War I

Bourchier commanded a CMF light horse troop at

Numurkah, Victoria Numurkah ( ) is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Shepparton, in the Shire of Moira. At the , Numurkah had a population of 4,768. History The area was occupied by the Yorta ...

from 1909 to 1914. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was commissioned into the 4th Light Horse Regiment and left with the first contingent of the

First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main Expeditionary warfare, expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following United Kingdom of Great Bri ...

. He served with the regiment in the

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

, Egyptian, Sinai, Palestine and Syrian campaigns. While on Gallipoli he was appointed temporary captain on 1 July 1915 and adjutant of the 4th Light Horse Regiment on 7 September. He became the acting commander of "A" Squadron on 19 October 1915 and gained his substantive captaincy on 22 November. He was promoted to major on 20 January 1916. The recommendation for promotion noted that "he was always quite cool and collected, and this had a very good effect upon his men". He assumed full command of "A" Squadron on 1 February 1916. Lieutenant Colonel Murray Bourchier

Bourchier was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 15 March 1917 and took command of the 4th Light Horse Regiment. On 31 October 1917 he led the 4th and 12th Regiments in the four-mile charge against Turkish positions at the Battle of Beersheba, capturing 15 of the 17 wells intact and taking over 700 prisoners. In a later report he summed up the effect of the attack: Bourchier Statement of Service

He received the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

on 4 November 1917: In September 1918 Bourchier again commanded a joint force of the 4th and 12th Regiments ("Bourchier's Force") in the final advance on

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, capturing 12,000 Turks. He was awarded the

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

on 3 June 1919 for the following recommendation: He took temporary command of 4th Light Horse Brigade in November–December 1918 while Brigadier William Grant was in temporary command of the ANZAC Mounted Division. During the war he was mentioned in dispatches three times. The regiment returned to Australia in June 1919.

Post war

After the war Bourchier returned to his farm near Strathmerton, Victoria. He remained an officer in the Australian Citizens Military Forces, becoming

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in command of the 5th Cavalry Brigade in 1921 and

in command of the 2nd Cavalry Division in 1931.

Political career

Bourchier was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

in 1920, representing the Victorian Farmers' Union in the electoral district of Goulburn Valley. His maiden speech was an attack on the Lawson government's neglect of ex-servicemen. He was re-elected as a Country Party candidate in 1921 and re-elected (unopposed) several times until his resignation in 1936. He was deputy leader of the Country Party in 1927–1930, leader in 1933–1935 and deputy leader again in 1935–1936. During his political career he served as Minister of Agriculture and Markets in the Allan government and the Chief Secretary, Minister of Labour and Deputy Premier of Victoria in the early years of the Dunstan government. He resigned from Parliament in August 1936 and was appointed Victorian Agent-General. While in this position he represented Victoria at the

coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of the British monarch, coronation of George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Elizabeth, as King of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realm, ...

. He died in London from pernicious anaemia and cancer on 16 December 1937. He was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

in January 1938.

Personal life

Of Irish Protestant descent, the Bourchier surname is of Anglo-Norman origin. He was also a Freemason. He married Minona Francis Madden, daughter of politician Sir Frank Madden, on 16 June 1921. They had a daughter and two sons.

Legacy

Bourchier Street in Shepparton, Victoria, is named after Lieutenant Colonel Bourchier. Bourchier Street Primary School also recognises the contribution he made with a memorial plaque in its front office. In the 1987 film '' The Lighthorsemen'' and a 1993 episode of ''

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' (sometimes referred to as ''Young Indy'') is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. Filming took place in various locations around the world, with "Old Indy" ...

'', both depicting the Battle of Beersheba, Bourchier was portrayed by Tony Bonner.''Tony Bonner'', imdb.com (without date).
/ref>

References

External links

Honours and awards (gazetted)
- Australian War Memorial {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourchier, Murray 1881 births 1937 deaths Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army soldiers Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Deaths from pernicious anemia Deputy premiers of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Chief secretaries of Victoria Agents-General for Victoria 20th-century Australian politicians Ministers for agriculture (Victoria) Ministers for labour (Victoria)