'A Very Fine Commander'

The Memories of General Sir Horatius Murray GCB KBE DSO

John Donovan

• Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9781848843370
• eBook ISBN:
  9781844683444
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies
• Index: History

A career soldier's remarkable journey. "A first class military memoir of a leader who proved his mettle time and time again" ( Pennant Magazine).
 
The contrast between soldiering in peace and war is well illustrated by "Nap" Murray's experiences. It took him sixteen years to reach the substantive rank of Major in 1938, but by 1944 he was an acting Lieutenant General.
 
Murray's fascinating memoirs, skillfully edited by his nephew, cover an extraordinary career from young officer service in India, China and Egypt to his experiences with the German Army in 1937 before the dramas of WW2. His accounts of action and injury in the early war years in France, North Africa, Sicily and Normandy prepare the reader for his long and distinguished record as a Divisional commander in Italy, Palestine, Catterick and finally the Commonwealth Division in Korea. It was Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery himself who described Murray as "a very fine commander"—praise indeed. A memoir can be very revealing about the character of its author. Entirely free of self-aggrandizement or pride, this book leaves the reader unsurprised at the success and popularity of its author.
 
"What makes this autobiography particularly interesting is that Murray isn't one of the better known officers or highest ranked generals, but instead was one of the surprisingly large number of generals who commanded brigades and divisions during the Second World War." —HistoryOfWar.org
 
"A very interesting read, giving a great insight into the career of a pre-war officer, mid-level command in the Second World War, and then post-war command in Korea

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Part 1 – The Early Years 1903–1939
• Part 2 – The War Years 1939-1945
• Part 3 – Generalship 1946–1989
• Reflections
• Bibliography
• Index