The 1914/15 Star trio issued to Murdoch Kerr who served on Gallipoli, surviving the inferno of Chunuk Bair, and later serving as a gunner with the NZ Field Artillery on the Western Front.

 

Murdoch Kerr was born 8th August 1881 at Fairlie, New Zealand. Son of Scottish immigrants, Murdoch and Anne Kerr (née MacIntosh). Following his education, Murdoch took up farming in the McKenzie Country (Burke's Pass), and in 1904 he married Alma Mabel Keeffe with their son, Murdoch, being born that year. The couple divorced in 1909 following allegations against Murdoch of drunkeness and violence towards his wife. In 1914, Murdoch attested with the NZEF, and at that time was working as a groom in Awanui, north of Kaitaia.

 

Murdoch landed on Gallipoli with 11th (North Auckland) Mounted Rifles on 9th May 1915, and was with the regiment during the August Offensive. The Auckland Mounteds played a key role in the assault and defence of Chunuk Bair, like so many of the New Zealand units involved. Murdoch will have spent his 34th birthday, 8th August, under the blazing Gallipoli sun fighting to hold the hard-won ground under intense Turkish artillery and machine-gun fire, and waves of Turkish infantry attack. Having survived this ordeal, Murdoch was admitted to hospital at Anzac on 17th August, and was subsequently evacuated to the UK via Malta. He returned to Egypt in early 1916 before deployng to France in April 1916 on transfer to 3rd Battery, NZ Field Artillery. He served throughout 1916 and into 1917 before suffering a sprained ankle whilst working as a groom with 8th Battery NZ Field Artillery. He was evacuated to the UK, where the strain of his service finally caught up with him and he was classified as unfit for further service, and returned to New Zealand.

 

After the war Murdoch worked in the Waimate district as a labourer, eventually retiring to Christchurch, where he died 24th February 1961.

 

The medals are all correctly impressed 13/513 GNR. M. KERR. N.Z.E.F.  

Service file held at Archives New Zealand