Murray Edith Agnes

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Biografie:
Edith Agnes Murray 1898-1986
Edith Murray was born in Glasgow in 1898, the daughter of W D Cairney, a chartered accountant. After attending Girls' Park School, she studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she qualified as LRAM in 1919. As a young woman she started climbing with her sister Maude Cairney (obituary in LAC Journal 1940), beginning with an ascent of the Jungfrau in 1922, undertaken (in her own words) “to see if we liked climbing”. They obviously did, and only two years later were elected members of the Ladies' Alpine Club, having that summer climbed the Rimpfischhorn, Riffelhorn (twice), Theodulhorn, Stockhorn, Besso, Monte Rosa, Zinal Rothorn (twice) and attempted the Finsteraarhorn. They also climbed the Aiguille de la Tsa by the face and, on reaching the summit, met George Murray (obituary: AJ71, 348, 1966) and his sister. Edith married “Joe”, as he was always called, the next year and they climbed the Matterhorn on their honeymoon. From then until the outbreak of war almost every year shows an energetic alpine season, and in the LAC Journal for 1974 she looks back 40 years on interesting ascents of the Dom and the Eiger, in two well-written articles.
Joe Murray had joined the Survey of Egypt in 1907 and, in 1932, was appointed Director of Desert Surveys. In a long, interesting article 'Egyptian Mountains' (AJ42, 226-235, 1930), he pointed out that 'the grand Sinai mountains, rising abruptly from sea level to over 8000ft are in Egyptian territory, while an equally fine chain ... forms the watershed between the Nile and the Red Sea'. He had been climbing these mountains for years and now, with Edith as his companion, tackled them again, making a number of first ascents. Her first article, 'Six Weeks' Wanderings in the Wilderness', in the LAC Journal 1930, was illustrated by her own photographs; she was an excellent photographer. Many of her expeditions read like holiday outings, for they took their dogs (shod in special boots when the going got rough), and the music of Bach and Scarlatti echoed over the desert from her dulcitone. For her share in her husband's work she was later awarded a life fellowship of the RGS.
During the war, Edith was for a time in King Farouk's household, teaching his daughters the piano; she then moved to the Censorship Department and, finally, on to the staff of the Higher Institute of Music in Cairo. But, in 1951, political upheavals forced their departure from Egypt, and they retired to Scotland, to Rimhan, the house on Deeside which was to be their home for the rest of their lives. Edith took a post as music teacher at Aberdeen High School for Girls, and after retirement never lacked private pupils. The Murrays continued to enjoy climbing, in the Alps as well as in Scotland, Joe having 75 Munros to his credit when he was over 70. Her husband died in 1966, but Edith was a great walker to the end of her days.
As a partnership, and as individuals, Edith and Joe Murray were beloved wherever they went, giving as much to life as they took from it, and more.
GWT
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 92, 1987, Seite 303-304



Geboren am:
1898
Gestorben am:
1986