Farewell to Ted Murray

Ted Murray was posted to Dumfries in 1972 from Geneva where he was in international sales for Uniroyal and headed up the Customer Service function for timing belts.  As a London born southerner, he had a culture shock when not long after he arrived, he was invited to a Burns Supper in the Globe Inn. Ted later said that he had no idea what was happening. In a smoke filled room, a man with a chain was shouting in a strange language and brandishing a knife at what he thought was a large sausage on a plate. He feared he was about to witness a sacrifice.  After that inauspicious beginning, Ted later accepted an invitation to a more genteel gathering of Dumfries Burns Club held in the historic County Hotel and to which he could take his wife Joyce, a world away from the male only suppers in the Globe Inn.  He joined the club, initially for the social aspects and in due course was elected president of one of the oldest Burns Clubs in the world. As a Sassenach, he was very proud of his election and at the Anniversary Supper in his presidential year, he won much praise for his faultless “Address to the Haggis”, with authentic pronunciation coached by the then secretary, John McFadden.  A far cry from the ceremony he had witnessed in the Globe many years previous.

The club appointed Ted as a delegate to the Southern Scottish Counties Burns Association and he later served with distinction as president.  He was a SSCBA delegate to the RBWF where his warm and engaging personality made him a popular figure at the quarterly meetings.  With his professional background in sales, he was an enthusiastic member of the Marketing Committee and brought to that group, a dedication and expertise which convenor Murdo Morrison admits will be greatly missed.

Ted Murray’s interest and knowledge of Robert Burns grew over the years and he acquired a reputation as a speaker of note. His witty toast to “The Lasses” was a highlight of many a Burns gathering but he was also in demand by local groups to talk on a variety of subjects from “The Arthurian Legends” to an “Englishman living in Scotland”, all rich in humour and interest.

Although, as a proud “adopted Doonhamer” Ted regarded Dumfries Burns Club as his home, he found himself a member of the Burns Howff Club based at the Globe Inn and was a much respected committee member at the time of his death. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the functions and outings, especially the annual trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where he often led the charge up closes and wynds in search of obscure venues.

Ted Murray’s passing is felt by a very wide circle of friends in and outwith the Burns world and will be sadly missed as a gentleman and friend.

The late Ted Murray, one of the most respected and longest serving member of the club who passed away in 2012, has been remembered in his adopted town of Dumfries with a commemorative bench.

Ted’s sister Ann, who lives in London, contacted David Smith to seek advice on the placement of a bench and in due course, Dumfries & Galloway Council installed a seat and commemorative plaque adjacent to the Jean Armour statue, opposite St. Michaels Church.

Ann chose Burns’ “Epitaph on my own friend, Wm. Muir” for the inscription on the plaque, a fitting tribute to a perfect gentleman.


David Smith