Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Murdock Stanley Baldwin was ­­a South Australian who was born and raised in the country town of Orroroo by his widowed mother Alice Ellen Baldwin. Murdock Stanley lived in Norwood in his late teens and grew up to be a hard-working Labourer. Murdock was a short man with a height of 170 centimetres and a weight of 59 kilograms, weighing less than most of the people in year nine at Saint Ignatius. It was on the 25th of November 1914 that he enlisted for World War 1.  

Murdock Stanley’s time in the Great War was a short but certainly eventful few months. He went to war as a single 24 year old ranked as ‘private’ with a regimental number of 704. His time consisted of little fighting, little training but lots of transferring and hospital visits. On the 16th of May in 1915, Murdock’s unit, the 9th Light Horse Brigade, embarked from Melbourne on board the HMAT A52 Surada and travelled to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Only 16 days later he was admitted to his first hospital, Clapton Hospital, but only lasted a day there before being transferred to a Hospital in Franconia, he was diagnosed with influenza. 6 days later he returned to the Middle East in Alexandria and stayed in Deaconesses Hospital for an ‘unknown’ amount of time. He was admitted to the 18th Convalescent Camp after getting better in Deaconesses, this camp was also known as Mustapha Convalescent Camp in Alexandria. Murdock contracted colitis on the 29th of July and was transferred to Malta on a journey that took close to three months on the “Cawdor Castle” ship.

St David’s Hospital in Malta was Mr Baldwin’s home for the next couple of months before he was admitted to the Australian General Hospital on the 21st of January. It was here that Murdock was diagnosed with dysentery. After spending some time in Helouan from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March Murdock embarked on “Argyllshire” for 3 months, his destination was Australia; home. He arrived in Melbourne on the 30th of March, still with the disease that ended this time in war; dysentery.  The 22nd of August 1916 was the date Murdock Stanley Baldwin was discharged from the Australian Imperial force because of ‘Medical Unfitness’. Murdock received three medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and a Victory Medal. He also received a pension of £45 per fortnight for eight months, his pension was then decreased to £10 a fortnight as of the 15th of March 1917.

The 9th Light Horse Brigade, Murdock’s unit, was a Brigade created in October of 1914. It is said that they first opened fire on the 1st of June 1916, this was against the Turkish trenches. Murdock was admitted to Clapton Hospital that same day. The regiment fought against the forces of the Ottoman Empire in Egypt,  Gallipoli, Sinai Peninsula, Palestine and Jordan. Their goal was to capture  Constantinople and then have a direct sea route to Russia, one of Australia’s allies. The ultimate outcome was neutral with both sides receiving deaths and injuries; obviously Murdock didn’t do much fighting so he was a survivor from this unit.

Murdock was a courageous soldier who got a bit unlucky here and there but nevertheless still served for our country in the Great War and was recognised with the three medals mentioned earlier. Murdock Stanley Baldwin now has a cemetery in Goodwood and his family still owns their house on Kensington road.