[6] Charles, a printer and commercial stationer in Auckland for fifteen years, passed away after a long illness, aged 43, at home in Cheltenham Road, Devonport, on 2 February 1898.

[7][8] In January 1900, his mother, Lilian, married Dr William Chisholm Wilson McDowell at St Mary's Church, New Plymouth.

[11] In consequence, the family moved to Britain in March 1906, where Murray attended Mill Hill School in London.

[18] Murray promoted the progress of the Walsh Aeroplane Syndicate's Howard Wright biplane, and club activities.

[33] Murray said of the aircraft in relation to the reconnaissance work: "The big A-W was slow, but my pilots liked it for the particular job they had to do, and never regarded themselves as 'cold meat'.

"[34] Murray was mentioned three or four times in General Sir Douglas Haig's despatches,[35][36][37][38] and conferred the Military Cross in September 1917:[39] "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty on numerous occasions.

"[40] After the war ended he was permitted to retain rank of major[15]and conferred the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

His visits to exhibitions such as the 1925 Paris Exposition and the 1931 Exhibition of Swedish Industrial Art in London inspired Murray to seek out opportunities to design vases and tablewares for factory production, and as the Great Depression of the early 1930s further reduced the demand for architecture he became a full-time designer.

Though his ideas proved unsuitable for their style of glass, he worked as a freelance designer at Stevens & Williams of Brierley Hill in the West Midlands in 1932.

[47] In 1934 the royal silversmiths Mappin & Webb approached him and asked if he could produce bowls and vases in silver working to the same designs as his Wedgwood pieces.

[47] Most of his work was with vases, bowls and similar cylindrical ware, executed in a clean and restrained style with decoration often limited to deeply incised lines or smooth steps in the shape.

[46] In February 1939, some seven months before the outbreak of the Second World War, Murray returned to the RAF as a commissioned officer assigned to the Administrative and Special Duties Branch.