Mr James Murray of Ardrossan Academy

Post about your old school - ask about old school pals
Post Reply
User avatar
down south
Mega Heid Poster
Mega Heid Poster
Posts: 3534
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 4:18 pm
Location: Cheshire,formerly Saltcoats

Mr James Murray of Ardrossan Academy

Post by down south »

This obituary of Mr James Murray, Principal Teacher of History at Ardrossan Academy, appeared in the 1959 school magazine.


James Murray 1937.jpg
James Murray 1937.jpg (16.37 KiB) Viewed 3693 times


MR JAMES MURRAY

Although staff and pupils of the Academy knew in the spring of last year that Mr James Murray was gravely ill, nevertheless the news of his death in hospital was received with an impact of shock, almost of incredulity. We had all sympathised with him in his long illness, doubly trying to one who had always led an active life in work and in play, but we refused to accept the possibility of his disappearance from the school which he had served so long and so zealously.

Educated in Edinburgh at Daniel Stewart's College and at Edinburgh University, James Murray came to the old Ardrossan Academy in September 1925 , to take up a teaching career which ended only with his death in July 1958, so that he gave in all thirty-three years to the service of the Academy and of his pupils; it is , therefore, easy to understand that his passing from classroom and staffroom is not, even yet, fully realised by his pupils and by his colleagues.

He was, of course, keenly interested in his own subject of History and, what is perhaps more important in a teacher, he had the power of arousing a similar interest in many of his pupils. Living testimony of his enduring work is to be found in the careers of a considerable number of those he taught in the classrooms of the Academy. He was a firm disciplinarian yet his control was never unduly severe or harsh and it was ever lightened by his own humour idiosyncrasies which made him memorable to successive generations of Academy pupils. But it was characteristic of the man that he was no narrow specialist; his academic interests were wide and varied. If Scottish education ever ceased to attract such men as James Murray to serve as teachers in its senior secondary schools, the whole nation will be the poorer. It was peculiarly fitting that he should become in 1948 the first Principal Teacher of History in the Academy.

He was not, however, content to serve only in the comparative calm and quiet of the scholastic profession. In the troubled 30s, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and in 1939 was the first teacher from the Academy to be called to active service. Serving first at Campbeltown, he experienced there one of the German bombing raids. Later he went overseas to serve in Gibraltar, Australia and the Far East. When demobilised, he had attained the rank of Paymaster-Commander, RNVR.

Coming from a rugby-playing school as he did, he joined the Ardrossan Academicals RFC on coming to the district and as player and administrator did much to help the club to achieve the present standing. It is very pleasant to record that the gratitude of past and present members of the Club for all that he did for them has been given tangible form in the James Murray Memorial Cup - a handsome trophy which, in the years to come, will be competed for by the rugby-playing schools of Ayrshire in annual seven-a-side tournaments. A more appropriate method of perpetuating his memory could not have been devised for he loved to watch the Border " sevens ", and he gave much of his leisure time to coaching and training and refereeing his schools rugby - indeed he was largely instrumental in introducing rugby football to Ardrossan Academy.

This breadth of interests was seen in sport also, for he took over the running of the Academy Golf Club from the late Mr Milne and from Mr J P Murray and did much to encourage the playing of the ancient game by the pupils of the Academy. He himself was a very sound performer on the links : perhaps not very long off the tee by very " canny " on and around the greens.

Space in a school magazine is necessarily limited so that only a mere mention of James Murray's other services can now be made : he was Housemaster of Montfode House for many years, he served on many committees such as the Sports Committee, latterly he was secretary of the civilian committee which helps to manage the ATC Squadron associated with the Academy.

Bricks and mortar do not make a school; it is constituted by bonds, more delicate, less tangible, more imperceptible and yet more lasting and strong, woven slowly as the years and generations pass. And in the creation of what we may term the " real " Academy, services such as those rendered in so many diverse ways by James Murray, Principal Teacher of History, are beyond praise and beyond value.

" Enough, if something from our hands have power
To live and act, and serve the future hour . "


Susan
User avatar
gnyaff
Mega Heid Poster
Mega Heid Poster
Posts: 1199
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 12:07 pm
Location: Deception Bay, Queensland

Re: Mr James Murray of Ardrossan Academy

Post by gnyaff »

Is this the same Mr Murray who had the nickname of Wongy Murray?

Wee Boney
Post Reply