Funeral service for former senior army officer who also served St John's Ambulance with distinction

Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Leonard ‘Len’ Murray MBE CStJ died on December 5, in his 79th year, with his funeral service held at Railway Street Presbyterian Church in Lisburn on December 8.

The father-of-two, who grew up in east Belfast, fulfilled his boyhood ambition to join the army when he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps in May 1964 aged 19.

His previous experience with both the Army Cadets and the Officer Training Corps at Queen’s University prepared him well for what was an eventful military career.

Len was the son of Charles and Margaret Murray and the family lived in the Orangefield area of the city.

He was educated at Harding Memorial Primary and then Methodist College before beginning his military training at Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot.

Soon after graduating, the young officer was on a flight to a posting in Hong Kong, finishing his spell in the Far East in Malaya between 1965 and 1966.

Len first met wife Jean when they were pupils at Methody but then lost contact. They met again while Len was on home leave in 1967 and romance blossomed.

Len and Jean got engaged in July 1968 and were married in Kirkpatrick Memorial Presbyterian (Ballyhackamore) the following year.

Initially living in Bath, where Len was serving with at RAF Lyneham, the couple would move to Len’s next posting in Germany where son Paul was born in 1972.

A transfer to the Royal Military Police (RMP) led to a return home to Northern Ireland for a tour of duty in November 1973.

Daughter Kathleen was born at this time but, now a family of four, they were soon on the move again to posting in Rheindahlen and Hohne in Germany.

Several other postings followed before a final return to Northern Ireland as the commanding officer of 1 Regiment RMP.

In 1988, Len would spend six months in Sinai with the Multinational Force and Observers – a peace-keeping force set up by the Camp David Agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Len was awarded the MBE (Military Division) in November 1984.

When he took early retirement from the army in 1992, Len was appointed Director of Corporate Services with the Equality Commission where he remained until 2005.

A strong supporter of RMP Association, Len became president of the NI Branch and served the wider Association as a Trustee for several years.

His other interests included a life-long association with the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, eventually going on to become the District Commissioner for NI.

Len was appointed a Member of the of Order of St John in 1997, Officer of the Order in 2001 and Commander of the Order in 2012.

A member of Railway Street Presbyterian, he served as a committee member, secretary and elder , living out his Christian faith in all areas of life.

He approached his many roles with committed enthusiasm – universally described as a real gentleman with a genuine interest in the lives of those he met.

Len is survived by his wife, Jean, son Paul, daughter Kathleen, and grandchildren Dylan, Ella and Ava.