Officer Commanding D Coy, 1st Battalion CASF

Sergeant RW Murdock was among the first senior non-commissioned officers to be accepted for service with 1st Battalion, 48th Highlanders of Canada (CASF) in September 1939.  In 1939 the Canadian Army created the rank of Platoon Sergeant Major (PSM) which was to allow experienced senior NCOs to command platoons. In 1942 Murdock was one of the first three PSMs to be sent for commissioning training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.  He topped the course of 90 candidates and was sent to Canada as an instructor by Col Milton Gregg,VC who was organizing the Canadian Officer Training Unit (OTU) in Brockville, ON.  After a tour as an instructor he returned to the 1st Bn as platoon commander with A Coy. He returned to 1st Battalion in Italy and served with it through the remaining campaigns in Italy and Northwest Europe.  He was OC D Coy when the war ended.