John Williamson shares the story of his uncle Murvyn Henry Sturgess.

Murvyn was one of seven children of a Chinchilla (Queensland) father and his wife. As a child, Murvyn developed a keen interest in photography.

At the age of 16 years, someone in the Chinchilla community gave Murvyn a white feather! His older brother Jack Sturgess had already enlisted, as had a number of young men in the Chinchilla district. As soon as he turned 17, Murvyn put his age up to 18 years, and, with is father’s permission, enlisted on 16 August, 1915.

3634 Private Murvyn Henry Sturgess joined the 25th Battalion (“Darling Downs”). He left Australia for Egypt on 3 January, 1916, in the company of his older brother, 3642 Private Cecil John (Jack) Sturgess (pictured sitting).

Murvyn transferred with Jack to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion. He was wounded in the thigh on 2 July, 1916. He was originally hospitalised in France, and then in Northamptonshire War Hospital, Dunston, England. Murvyn returned to the 25th Battalion on 6 March, 1917. He developed a “PUO” (pyrexia of unknown origin) on 27 July, 1917, and was transferred via Etretat General Hospital, France to Richmond Military Hospital, England with a diagnosis of “trench fever” and “myalgia” on 6 August, 1917.

After training in Havre, Australian Infantry Base Depot, France, he re-joined his 25th Battalion on 24 February, 1918.

On 29 April, 1918, between Albert and Amiens, Murvyn was killed in action, buried alive in a collapsing trench from an exploding artillery shell. He was originally interred in Albert Road cemetery, Buire-sur-Ancre by Reverend J NcGregor (attached to the 25th Battalion), then re-interred in a Commonwealth War Grave in the Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension, near Albert, Picardy, France. He lies there today, with his age recorded on the gravestone as “21 years”; he was in fact 20 years old.

On the battlefield, a few days before the battle in which Murvyn was killed, he met with his brother Jack. Although they had both seen action in the trenches for almost three years by then, Murvyn told Jack that he felt uneasy about the next battle he was facing.

Jack urged his younger brother to banish such thoughts, as they had a bad reputation for any soldier facing danger! Sadly, this premonition proved accurate. The grief-stricken father (my grandfather) tried to enlist immediately as word of Murvyn’s death reached the family, but of course his application was refused.

John says his surviving father and Uncle Jack Sturgess  (both WWI veterans) described Murvyn as a very likeable young man with a sunny disposition and positive personality. John’s mother never fully recovered from his loss, and grieved for him all her life.

Speaking of his uncle Murvyn, John says he is ‘one of the many, many thousands of gallant young Aussies and Kiwis for whom we pay homage and remembrance, for the freedom we have enjoyed in Australia and New Zealand, during all our lives to date. They gave their all and “We will remember them” with humility and deep gratitude.’