John Murdoch was born in St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia on 2 October 1883, the son of George Murdoch (a merchant) and Florence Margaret Catherine Murdoch.  He joined the Royal Navy at HMS BRITANNIA as a Cadet on 15 May 1898 where he served until 14 September 1899, gaining eight-months seniority on ‘passing out’ and was awarded a prize of £10 for achieving five 1st Class passes.

He was promoted to Midshipman on 15 September 1899 and was appointed to the battleship HMS PRINCE GEORGE and then to the battleship HMS EMPRESS OF INDIA on 15 September 1900.  On 14 September 1901 he joined the battleship HMS CAESAR and served in that ship until 15 October 1902 when he was promoted to Acting Sub Lieutenant.  On 25 November 1902 he commenced his Lieutenant’s Courses and, in May 1903 he was serving at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich.

On completion of his course, he was appointed to Devonport Destroyers on 1 March 1904 and he served in this appointment until 3 September 1904.  He next joined HMS CHARYBDIS on 10 October 1904, serving in that ship until 26 March 1905.  The next day, he was appointed to HMS SCYLLA and served in that ship until January 1906.  On 12 March 1906 he was appointed to HMS VERNON (the Torpedo and Mining School Ship) at Portsmouth as a Lieutenant ‘qualifying for Torpedo Duties’.

In May 1906 he was involved in a bicycle accident incurring ‘concussion of the brain’ and commenced ‘sick leave’ on 6 May 1906.  He was ‘surveyed at the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar’ on several occasions before being declared ‘fit’ in September 1906.  Lieutenant John Murdoch was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MERCURY as an ‘Officer under Training’ on 6 October 1906.  It is reported that John Murdoch of Rose Hill, Putney Park Avenue, Surrey died in Monte Carlo from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 3 January 1907.  John Murdoch’s father reported that his son had never recovered from the bicycle accident in May 1906.