Harry Murray's Medals Welcomed Home

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6 June 2015 Guy Barnett, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Harry Murray's medals welcomed home The medals of Australia’s most decorated soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Henry (Harry) Murray, have been welcomed home to Launceston’s QVMAG. Through a concerted effort from QVMAG Director Richard Mulvaney and Liberal Lyons MHA Guy Barnett the medals have been loaned to the exhibition by Harry Murray’s family in Queensland. The display will also be complemented by the iconic portrait of Murray which has been loaned to the QVMAG by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra at the request of the Tasmanian Government. The medals were displayed at the QVMAG for a short time in 2011 and it is appropriate that they return to Tasmania before they are finally donated to the Australian War Memorial next month. Harry Murray grew up in Evandale and was part of the first landing in Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. He was in the final 200 soldiers evacuated in December 1915. He was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal in Gallipoli and then awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the Battle of the Somme, in France. He was awarded the Victoria Cross at Gueudecourt after storming a German trench, capturing the position, repulsing three counter-attacks, leading further bayonet and bombing charges and then rescuing the wounded and carrying them to safety. In 1917 Murray was again awarded the Distinguished Service Order during the assault on the Hindenburg Line, the Croix de Guerre medal and at the end of the war the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. It is fantastic that Harry Murray’s great niece Anne Batalibasi and great nephew David Cocker could be here today along with many representatives from the Murray Memorial Committee and the RSL. Mr Mulvaney: ``Thanks to Mr Barnett’s persistence and our ability to display the medals in a safe and secure location, Mr Murray’s family have agreed to loan us the medals for 7 weeks. We are very proud to be able to bring this exhibition to Tasmania.” Contact: Martin Gilmour Phone: 0417 030632 .

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