Thank you, everybody, for all the help and guidance you've given me on this. Stu, I still have to buy a copy of "The History of the 51st.Highland Division 39-45" and "The Spirit of Angus", but going by the pages you put on here, and the war diaries that Drew5233 put up, I've a better idea of when, where and how James McMurdo died. Thanks bamboo43 for the photos of the medals that James was entitled to. I've copied the photos(I hope that's okay) and put them in a wee file I've gathered together. I'm going to use the wee file to try and get James McMurdo's name added to the Auchinleck War Memorial. Tricky Dicky and amberdog45, thanks for the 'x' lists stuff. All very much appreciated. Aw the best, Rab.
I'm coming to this over six years too late but my reading of the war diary is that the disastrous attack by the 5th Black Watch happened on the 11th after which the battalion returned to its starting positions and moved to the chateau that evening. It was on the 12th in the afternoon (5pm) that the series of heavy German attacks happened. The book "The Spirit of Angus" supports my timeline. Therefore James McMurdo probably died around the chateau on the 12th (as did George Hercus, the man I am looking at). The division history makes it sound as though the events on the 11th and 12th happened on the same day.
