Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Natural causes is attributed those deaths due to causes that were not directly associated with the war. Included in this are wartime deaths resulting from, for example, theSpanish Influenza pandemic and its associated pneumonia problems and other attributions such as age and exhaustion. It also groups those who through Post Traumatic Stress committed suicide as a result of their experiences.

Detail :

British Medical Journal 13th September, 1916. "CASUALTIES IN THE MEDICAL SERVICES. ROYAL NAVY. Died on Service.
STAFF SURGEON J. KEOGH MURPHIY, R.N.V.R. Staff Surgeon James Keogh Murphy, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, died at Plymouth on September 13th, aged 47. He was the eldest son of the late Right Hon. Mr. Justice James Murphy, and was educated at Charterhouse, where lie was a senior scholar, and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. with first class honours in the Natural Science Tripos in 1891. He entered as a student at St. Bartholomew's, taking the Lawrence Schlolarship and gold medal in 1895. He became M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P.Lond. in 1894, and F.R.C.S. in 1901. He graduated M.B. and B.C.Camb. in 1896, proceeding M.A. and M.C. in 1904. After acting as demonstrator of anatomy both at Cambridge and at St. Bartholomew's, and as house-physician at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, he became surgeon to the Miller General Hospital at Greenwich and to the Paddington Green Children's Hospital. He was general medical editor to the Oxford University Press and he edited with Mr. D'Arcy Power A System of Syphilis, in six volumes. He translated and edited Kirmisson's Handbook of Surgery of Children. He also edited the Practitioner's Encyclopaedia of Medicine and Surgery in 1912, second edition 1913, and was the author of Wounds of the Thorax in War (1915). He obtained a commission in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on September 25th, 1906. The funeral took place at Plymouth on September 16th, the first part of the service being conducted at the Royal Naval Hospital Church and the interment at the Plymouth cemetery. The pall-bearers were six R.N.R. officers."

The Western Morning News of 18th September, 1916 provides more detail: "FUNERAL AT PLYMOUTH. The funeral took place at Plymouth on Saturday with naval honours, of Staff-Surg. James Keogh Murphy, R.N.V.R., F.R.C.S., who for some time had served at the R.N. Hospital, Stonehouse, and who died there on Thursday. The first part of the service was held at the Hospital Chapel, Rev. J. Julian Smith (hospital chaplain) officiating. The hymn sung was, "When our heads are bowed with woe." Among the congregation were a large number of the hospital staff, the nurses, and convalescents. The mourners were the widow, Mr. Harold I. Murphy (brother), Mrs. Endean, Mr. John White, R. E. Sare (representing Messrs. Henry Frowde and Hodder and Stoughton, with whom deceased was associated for many years an editor of the Oxford Medical Publications), and Mrs. C.W. Goff. The interment took place at Plymouth Cemetery. A gun-carriage bearing the coffin, which was draped in the Union Jack, and on which were the deceased officer's hat and sword, was drawn by a party of bluejackets. Six officers of the R.N.V.R., acted as pall-bearers, and members of the hospital staff, carrying wreaths, followed. After the mourning coach was a funeral party from the R.N. Barracks, Devonport, in charge of Lieut.-Commander J.H. Allen, and then surgeons from the medical staff of the hospital and other officers. Among the latter were Surg.-Gen W.H. Norman, Surg.-Gne Turner, Deputy-Surg.-Gen. V.G. Thorpe, Deputy-Surg.-Gen W.W. Pryn, Maj. Blackman, R.M.L.I., and Mr. R. G. Fuller (head wardmaster). The floral tributes included beautiful wreaths from the medical officers' mess, the wardmasters, 1st stewards, 2nd stewards, attendants, probationers, the sick berth reserve, R.N. Hospital, and Mr. P McGuire, gunner, R.N. ("in remembrance of Staff-Surg K. Murpy, who saved my life"), and J.E. Williams."

Masonic :

A prolific Freemason, becoming a member of many lodges:

Initiated into Isaac Newton University Lodge, No. 859, Cambridge in 1891, whilst a Student at the university at Caius College. He joined Rahere Lodge No. 2546 10th December 1896. He became a founding member of the Charterhouse Deo Danti Dedi Lodge No. 2885 at its consecration 1th November 1901; resigning 19th May 1916. There is a record that he joined Jubilee Masters Lodge No. 2712, 16th June 1905, but the contribution column shows "Did not Join" and then arrears over the course of 4 years? He joined Navy Lodge No. 2612 on the 15th March, 1907. He was recorded here as a Surgeon, resident at 15 Pembridge Crescent, West London. He was a founder member of Caius Lodge No. 3355 becoming the primus Senior Warden at its consecration, 18th January 1909; he resigned from the Lodge 1 years noted war service (April 1915).

He was a Past Grand Deacon.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley