Gallipoli 2015: Mapmaker James Nicholas Murray's 'untold story' uncovered in small Queensland town

Updated

A treasure-trove of original World War I documents handwritten by a soldier who served in Gallipoli has been found, stolen, and then returned, in an eventful few months in the central Queensland town of Emerald.

The documents belonged to licensed surveyor Private James Nicholas Murray, who produced what were thought to be the most detailed maps to date of Russell's Top, a lesser-known but strategically critical line of defence in the eight-month long battle.

Using only a compass and piece of string, the then 30-year-old sketched the trenches and tunnels in the steep slopes above Anzac Cove while under fire, recording his thoughts in a pocket-sized diary, all of which remain intact to this day.

"It's an untold story and I think it's a story the whole nation will embrace," researcher Margaret Rawsthorne from the Emerald RSL told 7.30.

Private Murray, affectionately known as "JN", managed to protect his work throughout the entire military campaign, eventually sending all of it back to Australia in the mail before the allied forces withdrew.

His grandson Mark Murray, also a surveyor, admits he failed to recognise the importance of JN's work, keeping it stored in a chest of drawers for several years until Ms Rawsthorne came knocking and asked to have a look.

"We arranged a meeting with Mark and he brought in this suitcase," she said.

"He opened the suitcase and it was incredible."

Inside the suitcase was a mountain of material and although the ink was fading fast, excerpts from JN's diary were visible enough to be transcribed. Now Mr Murray has painstakingly pieced together his original maps, page by page.

'Wonderful' find sheds new light on important feature of Gallipoli

The discovery captured the imagination of Captain Andrew Craig, who is in charge of the commemoration of the Anzac centenary in Queensland.

He said the map Mr Murray had pulled together provided more detail of Russell's Top than any other he had seen.

Turks give this place a great doing with shells and bombs. Several killed and wounded. Had I been in dugout I occupied a few days ago, after it was dinner time, I would have had my head blown off. Private James Nicholas Murray - diary entry from October 27, 1915

"I don't think even the War Memorial has got documentation of the detail of that tunnelling work and trenching work to the extent that we've got here," he said.

After visiting Emerald to personally inspect the maps, Captain Craig said he was now looking at ways to digitise the field notes so the public could access them.

"If we can take this work and overlay it, perhaps onto a topographical map, we'll get a very good idea of the sort of work that Private Murray did and just how that fits into the whole plan and the fortification of Russell's Top," he said.

Ms Rawsthorne said Russell's Top was incredibly important to the allied forces' chances of success in 1915.

"In one of the documents, which is the Russell's Top handover report, it basically says that if that line of defence is lost, then Anzac is lost," she said.

"(JN's) work is the missing link to what that whole document is about."

Explore JN's map

Making traverse with prismatic compass and piece of string 20ft long of trenches. Would like job if I had assumed status but fancy that I am looked upon as an intruder. Private James Nicholas Murray discussing the challenges of surveying in the trenches, in a diary entry from September 21, 1915

JN's diary describes the first of many brushes with death

As the contents of JN's diary demonstrate, mapping the trenches and tunnels of Russell's Top while under fire from the Turkish army was no easy task.

In an entry dated September 12, 1915, he describes the first of many brushes with death.

"At six o'clock had an exciting time going for water. Snipers were on the lookout for us. Bullets whizzed very close to us as we ran with heads ducked in shallow trenches," he wrote.

Another close-shave was recorded on October 27, 1915.

I burst into tears because I was so close to the project and I had spent so much time on it. How can we lose something that is basically a national treasure? Margaret Rawsthorne, Emerald RSL

"Turks give this place a great doing with shells and bombs. Several killed and wounded. Had I been in dugout I occupied a few days ago, after it was dinner time, I would have had my head blown off."

Ms Rawsthorne said despite the chaos and carnage of war, JN never confessed to feeling scared.

"He talks about doing some coordinates and he pops his head up and 20 yards away, in his own words, here's another Turkish soldier, so he ducks down and he just traverses backwards and says 'I'll have to come back and do that tomorrow', so he doesn't show any fear whatsoever," she said.

As the bloody battle dragged on, JN only ever complained about one thing: a lack of food.

This was the focus of a diary entry dated October 13, 1915.

"Walked down to the beach in hope of getting something out of canteen. We were faint today. Nothing in canteen," he writes.

Ms Rawsthorne said when JN was hungry, his writing suffered.

"He's actually saying 'I'm starving, bitterly cold, can't get warm', and you can see his writing is deteriorating along with what he's saying," she said.

Thief stole suitcase containing JN's maps and diary entries

The Emerald RSL is planning to put JN's work on display as part of its Anzac centenary commemorations.

As planning was underway, however, the prized documents went missing.

"My office got robbed," Mr Murray said.

A thief broke into his office while it was unattended, stealing laptops, chequebooks, and other business-related items, but took the suitcase full of JN's maps and diary entries too.

"He booted the door in and there was a big footmark on the door," Mr Murray said.

Ms Rawsthorne was devastated.

"I burst into tears because I was so close to the project and I had spent so much time on it," she said.

"How can we lose something that is basically a national treasure?"

Police were quick to respond to reports a man carrying computer cables had been seen nearby the office not long after the burglary.

The alleged offender was arrested and while many of the stolen goods were never retrieved, the war documents were returned to Mr Murray.

"I was relieved. That was a good feeling," he said.

JN 'not the type of person to promote himself'

JN was discharged from the Army due to deafness and died in 1956 when Mr Murray was a young boy.

He never spoke of the war and by all accounts was humble about his contribution to the Gallipoli campaign.

"He was not the type of person to promote himself," his grandson said.

Ms Rawsthorne hopes the Australian War Memorial will eventually add JN's work to its collection.

"I certainly would like to see him recognised," she said.

"We have other surveyors at Gallipoli like Ronald Alison McInnis from Mackay who is quite famous for doing the work on Quinn's Post," she said.

"(JN) was still treated as an ordinary soldier throughout the history of Gallipoli, despite being a surveyor."

Watch David Lewis's report on 7.30 tonight.

Topics: world-war-1, anzac-day, history, emerald-4720, qld, australia, turkey

First posted