MURRAY BROTHERS - Part 1

William Richard Murray came to Australia with his parents and siblings in 1856, his father J.H. Murray taking up a position of teacher opening the first National School in 1866.   On 29^th April 1876 E. N. Murray, brother of W. R. Murray, opened his hardware business in a small 12’ x 24’ shop. W. R. Murray acquired Charles Tuke’s general store in 1877 opened his own business in Church Street.  In this store the residents were able to purchase “Pianofortes and American Organs on easy terms and sewing machines on time payment, no interest” this was pioneering the field of selling by time payment.  About the same time E. N. Murray, brother of W. R. Murray, opened another hardware and crockery shop on the other side of the street selling hardware and crockery.

In 1884 the brothers join forces - E.N. Murray joining his brother on the site; this was the beginning of the firm “Murray Brothers”.  A furniture section was added to the many other branches of the business. They were importing goods, selling pianos & organs and manufacturing household items like clothes and jams.  At one stage the furniture and jam factories were located in the old Ice Works in Smith Street beside the river. Their progress resulted in Murray Brothers becoming a household name in Parramatta.

Murray Brothers purchased the Woolen Mill from the French family in 1887 for 2000 pounds and operated under the name of Parramatta Woolen Mill.  They installed the machinery acquired from the Byrnes Australian Mill in Granville.  Water from the nearby Hunts Creek was used for scouring the wool which was then dried in the sun, sorted, carded and woven into medal winning rugs and blankets.  Parramatta Woolen Mills won gold medals at Royal Agriculture show in Sydney in 1897, 1898 and 1899 for rugs and blankets. In 1908 Parramatta Woolen Mills won gold medal at Franco-British exhibition for uniforms. In 1911 the mill was sold to A. E. Daking Smith.

Murray Brothers employed over 100 people working in the shop and the various factories also the woolen mills.  The items supplied by these factories were sold in the shop. 

Stay tuned... more in the next blog!

GALLIPOLI

Gallipoli

The Battle of Gallipoli was one of the Allies great disasters in World War One. It was carried out between 25th April 1915 and 9th January 1916 on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire. The doomed campaign was thought up by Winston Churchill to end the war early by creating a new war front that the Ottomans could not cope with.

On  25th November 1914, Winston Churchill suggested his plan for a new war front in the Dardanelles to the British government’s War Council. On January 15th 1915, the War Council gave its agreement and British troops in Egypt were put on alert. The Central Powers were fighting primarily on two fronts – the Western and Eastern Fronts. Fighting against such he armies as the Russian and French armies put a great deal of strain on the German military. The input of the smaller Austrian army into the major battles had been small when compared to the German army’s input.

Churchill’s idea was simple. Creating another front would force the Germans to split their army still further as they would need to support the badly rated Turkish army. When the Germans went to assist the Turks, that would leave their lines weakened in the west or east and lead to greater mobility there as the Allies would have a weakened army to fight against.

The Turks had joined the Central Powers in November 1914 and they were seen by Churchill as being the weak underbelly of those who fought against the Allies.

Churchill had contacted Admiral Carden– head of the British fleet anchored off of the Dardanelles – for his thoughts on a naval assault on Turkish positions in the Dardanelles. Carden was cautious about this and replied to Churchill that a gradual attack might be more appropriate and had a greater chance of success. Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, pushed Carden to produce a plan which he, Churchill, could submit to the War Office. Senior commanders in the navy were concerned at the speed with which Churchill seemed to be pushing an attack on the Dardanelles. They believed that long term planning was necessary and that Churchill’s desire for a speedy plan, and therefore, execution was risky. However, such was Churchill’s enthusiasm, the War Council approved his plan and targeted February as the month the campaign should start.

There is confusion as to what was decided at this meeting of the War Council. Churchill believed that he had been given the go-ahead; Asquith believed that what was decided was merely“provisional to prepare, but nothing more.” A naval member of the Council, Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson, stated:

“It was not my business. I was not in any way connected with the question, and it had never in any way officially been put before me." Churchill’s secretary considered that the members of the Navy who were present “only agreed to a purely naval operation on the understanding that we could always draw back – that there should be no question of what is known as forcing the Dardanelles.”

With such apprehension and seeming confusion as to what the War Office did believe, Churchill’s plan was pushed through. It would appear that there was a belief that the Turks would be an easy target and that minimal force would be needed for success. Carden was given the go ahead to prepare an assault.

On February 19th 1915, Carden opened up the attack on Turkish positions in the Dardanelles. British and ANZAC troops were put on standby in Egypt.

The next phase of the battle started in August. Hamilton ordered an attack on Suvla Bay that was not heavily defended. The landing took place on August 6th and involved the landing of 63,000 Allied troops. This time the secrecy behind the operation was so complete that senior officers were unaware of what others were doing. These 63,000 men were meant to take the area around Suvla Bay and then link up with the ANZAC’s at Anzac Cove. The plan very nearly worked but the ANZAC’s could not break out of Anzac Cove. The British at Suvla were pushed back by a frantic attack led by Mustapha Kemal and by August 10th, the Turks had retaken Suvla Bay.

However, the opponents of the campaign in London had become louder and more numerous. Hamilton was recalled and he was replaced by Sir Charles Monro. He recommended evacuation and the task was given to Birdwood. The evacuation of Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove was a brilliant success. It was accomplished on December 19th to December 20th. Not one casualty occurred.

The evacuation of Helles occurred on January 8th to January 9th, again with no loss of life. Thus the campaign ended with two successes.

However, the overall campaign was a disaster of the first order. Over 200,000 Allied casualties occurred with many deaths coming from disease. The number of Turkish deaths is not clear but it is generally accepted that they were over 200,000.

Indian Soldiers in World War One

During the First World War, over 160,000 Indian soldiers served in France. The Lahore and Meerut infantry divisions of Indian Army were selected for service in Europe. In October, shortly after they arrived, they were fed into some of the fiercest fighting around Ypres. The Indians took heavy losses at the battle. The average Indian battalion had 764 men when it landed in France. By early November the 47th Sikhs had only 385 men fit for duty. One soldier wrote home 'this is not war; it is the ending of the world'.

Indian soldiers’ major military contribution on the Western Front took place in the first year of the War. At the end of 1915 the majority of infantry brigades were withdrawn and sent to the Middle East. A small number of the cavalry brigades (who fought as infantry) remained in France for the duration of the war.

The Indian wounded soldiers from the trenches of the Western Front were hospitalised in England. A large number of Indian civilians’ e.g. medical personnel, clerks, store keepers, cooks etc. were also recruited for the hospitals and for the front.

At the beginning of the War, under Captain E.B. Howell’s command, a censor office was set up in response to an Indian 'revolutionary' distributing 'subversive' literature for all out-going as well as in-coming letters, both from the front and from the hospitals in England.

Extracts from the censored mails provide vivid testimonies of how Indian soldiers and civilian personnel saw the War and their views on hospital arrangements in England.

The two Indian infantry divisions were withdrawn from France in December 1915, and sent to Mesopotamia. Two Indian cavalry divisions remained on the Western Front until March 1918, when they were transferred to Palestine to take part in the offensive against the Turks.

By the end of the war in 1918, a total of 47,746 Indians had been reported dead or missing and 65,126 were wounded. Participants from the Indian subcontinent won 13,000 medals, including 12 Victoria Crosses.  Out of 12 Victoria Cross medals – 9 were won by Indians.

In 1914, Khudadad Khan  of 129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis  became the first Indian to win a Victoria Cross. Other Indian Victoria Crosse recipient soldiers are listed below:

Name	Unit	Place of Action	Date of Action
Khudadad Khan	129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis	Hollebeke, Belgium	1914
Darwan Negi	39th Garhwal Rifles	Neuve Chapelle, France	1914
Gabar Negi	BB03939th Garhwal Rifles	Neuve Chapelle, France	1915
Mir Dast	55th Coke's Rifles	Wieltje, Belgium	1915
Chatta Singh	Garhwal Rifles	Battle of the Wadi, Mesopotamia	1916
Lala	41st Dogras	El Orah, Mesopotamia	1916
Shahamad Khan	89th Punjab Regiment	Beit Ayeesa, Mesopotamia	1916
Gobind Singh	Garhwal Rifles	Peizieres, France	1916
Badlu Singh	14th Murray's Jat Lancers	River Jordan, Palestine	1918

Parramatta Gasworks

Parramatta gasworks was established by on the outskirts of Parramatta in 1872. The Gasworks Bridge near the former gasworks site is a reminder today of this former industrial site. Gasworks Bridge is named after thriving industries such as flour and woollen mills at that time. Boatsheds and inns were located on the riverfront here to support the settlement.

The Parramatta Gas Company purchased land on the river in 1872 and immediately began the construction of the brick retort house. The gasworks opened in 1873, bringing coal along the river to the works where it was converted to gas. George Street was lit by gas in 1876, before a permanent water supply was connected. The Gasworks complex included a number of large and small structures adjacent to both George Street.

Australian Gas Light Company

The Australian Gas Light Company is Australia’s second oldest company. The Australian Gas Light Company, was established by private interests in New South Wales on 7 September 1837 to light the streets of Sydney with coal gas. The first gas street lights were lit in 1841 and by March 1843 there were 165 gas lamps in the city - 14 Government lights, 11 Corporation lamps, 106 Publicans’ lights, and 34 Private lamps. The rest of the people used traditional oil lamps which were to remain as the predominant source of lighting both industrially and domestically until the arrival of electricity.

The Australian Gaslight Company operated from premises in Pitt Street on land south from Campbell Street to Redfern. It was known as the Government Paddock that was originally part of the brick pits from Sydney’s earliest years. The first gasholder and a two story building were erected in 1855. By 1858 the company purchased another eight allotments in Pitt St., and in 1860 were considering extension of the service to Newtown, Redfern and Glebe. Two new holders were constructed in 1861 and 1865, a fourth holder was built in 1874.

The former Australian Gaslight Company's head office was situated at 479-487 Pitt Street, Sydney. Coal was stored in a coal store from where it was delivered to the vertical retorts by overhead conveyor. Gas was produced in vertical retorts before being piped to the scrubbers and purifiers to remove any impurities. It then passed through a meter room before being stored in gasholders under pressure.


Gas was manufactured from coal, which had to be shipped in by barges and ferries. Consequently, suburban gas companies established their plants at harbour side locations. With the growth of Sydney, the sites where these now-abandoned plants were built have become valuable real estate, being at key locations around the harbour. Some sites have been re-developed for other industry or housing, while a few have been reserved for public use in the form of harbour side parklands.

Dogs in World War One

 Sergeant Stubby

Dogs had a vital part to play in World War One as the complexes of trenches spread throughout the Western Front. It is estimated that by 1918, Germany had employed 30,000 dogs, Britain, France and Belgian over 20,000 and Italy 3000. America, at first, did not use dogs except to utilise a few hundred from the Allies for specific missions. Later, after a chance stowaway, the USA produced the most decorated and highly-ranked service dog in military history, Sergeant Stubby.

Lots of dog breeds were used during World War One, but the most popular type of dogs were medium-sized, intelligent and trainable breeds. Two in particular were used because of their superior strength, agility, territorial nature and trainability; Doberman Pinscher's and GSDs, both native to Germany. Doberman's were used because they are both highly intelligent and easily trainable, and possess excellent guarding abilities. Being of slight frame and extremely agile, their dark coat allowed them to slip undetected through terrain without alerting the enemy. They were employed most frequently in Germany. German Shepherd's were used also because of their strength, intelligence and trainability, being eager to please their masters. Other breeds associated with WWI were smaller breeds such as terriers, who were most often employed as 'ratters'; dogs trained to hunt and kill rats in the trenches.

Roles and functions of military dogs

Military dogs in World War One were positioned in a variety of roles, depending on their size, intelligence and training. Generally, the roles fell into the category of sentry dogs, scout dogs, casualty dogs, explosive dogs, ratters and mascot dogs.

Sentry dogs

These dogs were patrolled using a short leash and a firm hand. They were trained to accompany usually one specific guard and were taught to give a warning signal such as a growl, bark or snarl to indicate when an unknown or suspect presence was in the secure area such as a camp or military base. Dobermans have traditionally been used as sentry dogs and are still widely used today as guard dogs.

Scout dogs

These dogs were highly trained and had to be of a quiet, disciplined nature. Their role was to work with soldiers on foot patrolling the terrain ahead of them. These dogs were useful to the military because they could detect enemy scent up to 1000 yards away, sooner than any man could. Instead of barking and thus drawing attention to the squad, the dogs would stiffen raise its shackles and point its tail, which indicated that the enemy was encroaching upon the terrain. Scout dogs were widely used because they were highly efficient in avoiding detection of the squad.

Casualty dogs

Casualty or 'Mercy' dogs were vital in World War One. Originally trained in the late 1800's by the Germans, they were later utilised across Europe. Known as 'Sanitatshunde' in Germany, these dogs were trained to find the wounded and dying on battlefields and were equipped with medical supplies to aid those suffering. Those soldiers who could help themselves to supplies would tend to their own wounds, whilst other more gravely wounded soldiers would seek the company of a Mercy dog to wait with them whilst they died.

Messenger dogs

Dogs were used as messengers and proved to be as reliable as soldiers in the dangerous job of running messages. The complexities of trench warfare meant that communication was always a problem. Field communication systems were crude and there was always the very real possibility that vital messages from the front would never get back to headquarters or vice versa. Human runners were potentially large targets and weighed down by uniforms there was a chance that they would not get through. In the heat of a battle, there was even less of a chance of a runner getting through as the enemy's artillery was likely to be pounding your frontline and the area behind it. Vehicles were also problematic as they could breakdown or the 'roads' could have been reduced to a mushy pulp and travel on them made impossible.

Dogs were the obvious solution to this pressing problem. A trained dog was faster than a human runner, presented less of a target to a sniper and could travel over any terrain. Above all, dogs proved to be extremely reliable if they were well trained. A dog training school was established in Scotland and a recruit from this school traveled over 4000 metres on the Western Front with an important message to a brigade's headquarters. The dog traveled this distance (war records classed it as "very difficult" terrain) in less than sixty minutes. All other methods of communicating with the headquarters had failed - but the dog had got through.

Mascot dogs

Dogs also had another role to play on the Western Front. For men trapped in the horrors of trench warfare, a dog in the trenches (whether a messenger dog or not) was a psychological comfort that took away, if only for a short time, the horrors they lived through. It is said that Adolf Hitler kept a dog with him in the German trenches. For many soldiers on any of the sides that fought in the trenches, a dog must have reminded them of home comforts.

        

Gasworks Bridge

The Gasworks Bridge over the Parramatta River is one of 32 lattice girder bridges built between 1870 and 1893 throughout NSW. Twenty were road bridges, twelve were railway bridges e.g. Meadowbank railway bridge. Gasworks Bridge, Parramatta is also known as Newlands Bridge.  

The Gasworks Bridge has the same deep, rectangular lattice trusses of John A McDonald’s early designs. Bridge is supported on large sandstone piers. It has three main spans each 31m in length and two steel beam approach spans. The overall length is 110m and is still in use.

Just east of the Gasworks Bridge is the site of the first official landing place in Parramatta where Governor Phillip and a small party of Marines arrived in 1788 to establish the colony’s second settlement. Gasworks Bridge is named after thriving industries such as flour and woollen mills at that time. Boatsheds and inns were located on the riverfront here to support the settlement.