Robert George Murduck

A Photographer in England

The War Years

 1916 through about 1921

Robert George Murduck, born in Clapham, Tower Hamlets, London, England, in 1875, had lived and worked as a very productive commercial photographer in Exmouth, Devonshire, from about 1897.

Initiated into the Masonic Rolle Lodge No. 2759 in 1902, he progressed quickly through the levels, attaining the position of Worshipful Master in late 1910. He was very engaged in civic undertakings - positioning himself on organizing and management committees of all manner of social organizations, and he was an active participant in community life between 1901 and 1917. See here - for details about his early life, see. See here - for details about his life in Exmouth.

War was declared in England in September, 1914. And many hundreds of thousands of men rushed to volunteer to fight. By early 1916, however, grinding stalemates and military needs resulted in the introduction of the Military Service Act, in January. By this Act, all unmarried men and childless widowers between the ages of 18 and 41 years were required to report for compulsory military service. Having been born on 30 August 1875, Robert George Murduck was about seven months shy of his 41st birthday when the first version of the Act was passed, And he was married, so by the first version of the Act he was not required to report for attestation.

The Act was extended in June, 1916, and all men regardless of their family or employment condition, were called up.

By June, 1916, when the requirements were expanded to include all men - whether married, or not, Robert George Murduck was just less than 2 months shy of his 41st birthday, so be became liable to conscription. He must have attested for service, but no record of this appears to have survived.

But there was within the legislation the right to appeal the conscription order, on a variety of grounds. And Robert George apparently did so, because we find, in pages of the 'Western Times', information that The Exmouth Appeals Tribunal met on 6 July 1916 to adjudicate on 80 applications for exemption from service (up from 70 two days earlier). One of the Appeals for Exemption was from Robert George Murduck. The Tribunal decided that Robert George Murduck, 40 years of age, married, a photographer, should be granted an exemption extension until 30 September [Western Times, 7 July 1916, Page 3]. Some men were refused an exemption, and were ordered to report for duty immediately. Others were given conditional exemptions. Some were given 3 month extensions. One individual - a 30 year old married man who drove the Exmouth Motor Fire Engine, was ordered to report immediately. Apparently, one of the Tribunal members thought it a 'waste of time' for the man to sit in the Fire Station all day waiting for a fire call, and he was ordered to report for duty.

We next pick up Robert George's story from an article published in the 'Western Times' on the 10th of November 1916. This edition reported on the results of the Exmouth Tribunal's hearings that had been held a few days earlier. Robert George Murduck, 41 years of age, married, a photographer and dealer in photographic materials, was applying for leave to appeal against the decision rendered by the Tribunal in July. He argued that he had passed his 41st birthday in August prior to his 30 September obligation to report for duty. He further argued that it had been publicly stated that men who had reached the age of 41 years during the period of their exemption would not be required to report for duty until the age limit was raised. He declared that he did not wish to shirk his reponsibility, but he was negotiating with a man to look after his business, and needed more time. The Clerk of the Tribunal said that R G should have applied to appeal the Tribunal's previous decision within 3 days of that decision being handed down, but he did not do so. The Tribunal Chairman commiserated with R G somewhat, and gave him the right to appeal the Tribunal's July decision.

Robert George must have filed a formal appeal, because we learn from the 'Western Times' published on 5 December 1916, that Robert George Murduck had appealed for more time to engage and instruct a man to take over his business. He asked for an additional fortnight to get his affairs in order. He was ordered to report for duty on 1 January 1917.

And he did apparently report for duty, as the photograph below shows!

 Robert George Murduck, private soldier, York, 1917

The text written on the photo is "Pte. R. G. Murduck / 1917 / York", and he was very obviously in a British Army uniform.

But no trace of any military service record pertaining to Robert George Murduck can be found. His must be one of the thousands of records that were lost to German bombing of London during World War II.

Two documents have been found, however, which may be relevant.

      First, is a set of Depot Orders issued by Major T C B Holland, Commanding the Devon Regiment Depot at Exeter, dated 4 September 1918. This set of orders shows that [Private] R G Murdock, Regimental No. 71779, had been attached to the 4th Reserve Battalion Devons, Company B, for the purpose of issuing rations, between 27 July 1918 and 24 August 1918 [Order No. 208, Part 11; The National Archives, Kew, England: WO 363; FHL Microfilm & Digital Folder No. 7292789; Image 929].

      Second is a British Army World War I Medal Roll Index Card, which shows that Private George R Murdock, who served with the Royal Army Service Corps, Regimental No. M2/082639, was issued with the Victory Medal and the British Medal, as apparently recorded in the RASC Roll 101.357, Page 5805 [The National Archives, Kew, England: SO 372/14, Image 152730/30018; digital image provided 3 December 2007].

A placement with the 4th Reserve Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment toward the end of the war makes sense - Devonshire is where Robert George lived before the war, and was perhaps where he would have been returned to after 'basic training'. But this Order reveals nothing about where Private R G Murdock might have been prior to the 27th of July, 1918, nor to which unit he had been attached prior to that date.

The Medal Roll Card indicates that Private George R Murdock ended his war service with the Royal Army Service Corps, which makes perfect sense when one considers that R G Murduck's skills as a photographer could have been well put to use in the Service Corps. As well, a medal card in the name of George R Murdock also makes sense - Robert George was popularly known as 'George' and not 'Robert'. No other reference to a George R Murdock as a British service man has turned up.

But the Regimental Service numbers reflected in the Orders and on the Medal Roll Card, don't match. This is perhaps not an issue, though, as different regiments and units of the British Army often gave different numbers to men in their ranks.

Regardless, Robert George Murduck was, by his own handwritten notation, in York in 1917, where a photograph of him was taken while in his army uniform.

While in York, he met a younger woman - some 17 years his junior, and she became pregnant. Her son George Philip was born on the first of August 1918, which implies that he was conceived around October or November of 1917. The birth, however, was registered in Exeter, Devonshire, not too far from Exmouth, on the 14th of August, 1918 [GRO Volume 5B, September Quarter, Page 92].

Then, a second son was born on 19 October 1919, which implies that this boy - Stanley Raymond, was conceived in January of 1919. This child's birth was registered in Hammersmith (London) on the 20th of November, 1919 [GRO Volume 1A , December Quarter, Page 408]. At that time Robert George was reported to have been working as a 'Temporary Clerk, Record's Office, ex Army'.

Both boys were baptised in St Olave Marygate, Yorkshire, on 15 January 1920, and their parents were identified as Robert George Murduck, a photographer, and Dorothy. Robert George and Dorothy were noted to have been residing at 52 Marygate at that time.

Dorothy was Dorothy PARKER. She was the daughter of Stanley & Florence [nee Parker] Parker, and she had been born in York on 30 April 1892. Stanley and Florence had been married in York in the middle part of 1889, and by 1901 they had 3 children - Dorothy, Muriel & Edwin. Stanley Parker worked in 1901 as a 'printer's compositor', while the family lived at No 24, Charlton Street within the Castlegate Municipal Borough of the City of York.

It's not known whether Robert George Murduck returned to his home in Exmouth after discharge from military service, probably later in 1918 or early in 1919, or not. It's very clear that he was living with Dorothy in London in late 1919, and in York by early 1920.

Emmie Susannah - Mrs Murduck, advertised in the Exmouth Chronicle on 22 May 1920, seeking dwelling space for herself and her son Ernest George in Exmouth. The photography business located at 34, The Strand, in Exmouth changed hands a few weeks later, with the business transferred from Mrs E S Murduck to W A Puddicombe as of the 26th of June 1920 [Exmouth Chronicle, 26 June 1920, Page 4].

And thus the next and final stage of Robert George Murduck's life unfolded in Yorkshire. See this link for details about Robert George Murduck's Time in Elland, Yorkshire, 1920-1947.