Captain Clotworthy Warren Murland
Clotworthy Warren Murland of Greenvale, Annsborough, County Down, was born in 1879, the third son of prominent linen manufacturer Clotworthy Warren Murland and his wife Sarah (nee Ferguson).
Before the war, Murland played an active role in the Ulster Volunteer Force in County Down.
He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the North Irish Horse on 13 October 1914, embarking for France on 1 May 1915 with D Squadron. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 1 July that year, and to captain on 16 January 1916.
The squadron's war diary makes a number of mentions of Murland during 1915 and 1916:
2nd Lt. W Murland & 2nd Lt. J.V. Adair & 4 N.C.O.'s were instructed in "Bombing" at the bomb school (154th Bde) at Laventie from 16-7-15 to 23-7-15.
On the 16-3-16 2 officers (Lt C.J.G Kirkpatrick & Lt W Murland) with 50 O.R. marched via Etrun to Louez arriving at 7.30 P.M. – proceeded on foot to the trenches to be attached to B & C Companies 4th Gordon Highlanders & take F.8 – F.15 subsector A.i. of the 154th Bde trench line. These 2 troops were relieved with the 4th Gordons on the night of the 22/23 by the 4th Seaforths. The Gordons returning to rest billets at Etrun & the N.I.H. meeting their horses at Louez at 12 midn[igh]t, returned to Vandelicourt. ... There was a great deal of work to be done in the Trenches to render them more secure & bullet proof – the trenches being much confused by the continuous fighting that had taken place on previous occasions when held by the French.
[April 1916] Two Hotchkiss Gun courses of 1 officer & 6 N.C.Os & men were trained for 5 days each course - Lt W. Murland & Lt P. Sherston being the officers under instruction.
In May 1916 D Squadron joined with A and E Squadrons of the North Irish Horse to form the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment.
Captain Murland was mentioned in Field Marshal Haig's despatch of 9 April 1917. At about the same time he was offered promotion to second-in-command of the 1/1st Somerset Yeomanry, but to his annoyance and disappointment his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Cole, refused to release him.
On 6 July 1918 he was posted for duty with the Royal Garrison Artillery Horse Lines of 17 Brigade.
Murland was demobilised on 22 March 1919 and resigned his commission on 13 March 1920.
He died in 1974.
Belfast News-Letter 6 January 1915
Belfast News-Letter 7 July 1916
Murland (front row, centre) at Ardnabannon party with the Uprichard family.
Captain Murland, third from left, Belfast News-Letter 12 November 1938
First image kindly provided by Jerry Murland. Second last picture from Kathleen Rankin's The Linen Houses of the Bann Valley.