Address / Local links: 97 Howard Avenue, Bexley / 8 Darwin Road, Welling
Family / Relatives: Son of Clifford and Eva Katie Murphy of 8 Darwin Road
Local Papers / Websites: BHO 2nd August 1940
Other Information: Born in Wales
PHILIP JULIAN MURPHY was born in January 1912 in Cardiff. His parents were Clifford Murphy (1881-1915) and Eve Katie Jessie Murphy (nee Creese)(1879-1975) both of whom were of Welsh extraction. In 1911 his parents ran The Horseshoes Hotel in the High Street, Cardiff. Clifford was a Licensed Victualler. Philip had an older sister Molly Denise Murphy who was also born in Cardiff in October 1909. Molly married Charles Furguson from Belfast and is thought to have died about 1973.
Philip was baptised at St. Martins Church in Roath (a district of Cardiff) on 24 June 1915. Unfortunately his father had died earlier in the same year at the age of 34.
On 27 March 1919 Philip’s half sister Betty Maureen Murphy was born in Cardiff. There is some confusion as to the father of Betty as the birth certificate shows Clifford as the father but he had died four years earlier.
Records indicate that the family as some stage lived in Belfast in Seamount Parade, Shore Road and Philip was confirmed at St James Church in Belfast on 20 March 1927.
In 1937 Voting records show that Eve together with Philip have moved to 97, Howard Avenue, Bexley where Eve lived until 1950. In 1939 Betty Murphy was at the address and employed as an Electrical Inspector. Betty married Albert Dooney in December 1941 in Bromley. When Eve left Howard Avenue she moved in with this Betty. Eve died in Bournemouth in 1975.
Philip must at some stage have become a Territorial Soldier before the war as his regiment, the 4th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment, was a unit of the Territorial Force (formed in 1908).
Dunkirk 1940
When war was declared the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was formed to go to France. The 3rd. and 4th Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment (both TA regiments) joined the 2nd Battalion (Regular Army) and on the 8th April 1940 they were shipped to Cherbourg to serve as part of the BEF. As the Germans advanced during the Battle of France the battalions took up a defensive position at Caestre (about 20 miles South of Dunkirk). When the Germans attacked the defense was so strong that they bypassed the pocket of resistance. However, orders were issued to retreat to Dunkirk where most of the battalion was evacuated on 30 May.
There are indications that Philip may have become a Prisoner of War during this operational period and perhaps had been wounded. The exact date of his death is unknown and is officially recorded as between 29 May 1940 and 21 August 1940.
He is buried at Dunkirk Town Cemetery in a Joint Grave with Yorkshireman Sapper G Black of the Royal Engineers. (Plot 2 Row 1 Joint grave 14). The personal inscription on his headstone reads:
UNTIL THE DAY BREAK AND SHADOWS FLEE AWAY
There are 793 Second World War graves in this cemetery, of which 213 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 58 soldiers known to be buried among them.
The Dunkirk Memorial stands at the entrance to the Commonwealth War Graves section of Dunkirk Town Cemetery. It commemorates more that 4,500 Casualties of the BEF who died in the campaign of 1939-40 and who have no known grave.
Pictured are the family pub in Cardiff (pre WW1), Philip and Betty, the Royal Sussex Regiment badge, and the Dunkirk Town Cemetery and Philip’s headstone there.
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If anyone is able to add any extra information, provide more family details, or suggest any corrections, please let us know – also, if anyone has any more photos of this individual listed on our memorials, please get in touch. Thank you.
Commemorated
- Welling War Memorial
- Dunkirk Town Cemetery, France
This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Phillip Julian Murphy, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.