Editing Len Murray (section)

==Early life==
Murray was born in [[Hadley, Shropshire|Hadley]], [[Shropshire]], the son of a young unmarried woman, Lorna Hodskinson, and was brought up by a local nurse, Mary Jane Chilton.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://doi.org/10.1093/notesj/gju137 | doi=10.1093/notesj/gju137 | title=The Origins of some Trade Unionists | date=2014 | last1=Davies | first1=E. J. | journal=Notes and Queries | volume=61 | issue=4 | pages=570–573 }}</ref> He attended [[Wellington, Shropshire|Wellington]] Grammar School, read English at [[Queen Mary College, London]], and then joined the [[British Army]].<ref>[https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/93772 Geoffrey Goodman, "Murray, Lionel <nowiki>[Len]</nowiki>, Baron Murray of Epping Forest", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''.]</ref>

===Army===
In the [[Second World War]] Murray was [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned]] in the [[King's Shropshire Light Infantry]] in April 1943 and took part in the [[Normandy landings]] on D-Day. Six days later, Murray was badly wounded and in October 1944 was invalided out of the army with the rank of [[lieutenant]].<ref>[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/Army_officers_M02.html www.unithistories.com]</ref>

===Demobilisation===
Murray worked at an engineering works in [[Wolverhampton]] as storekeeper, before leaving to sell ''The [[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Daily Worker]]'' on street corners and joining the [[Communist Party of Great Britain|Communist Party]]. Whilst selling ''The Daily Worker'', he encountered his former headmaster, who informed him he was wasting his time. Determined to improve himself, shortly afterwards Murray gained a place at [[New College, Oxford]], where he graduated with a First in [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics|PPE]] after two years' study under tutors including the future MP [[Dick Crossman]] and [[John Hicks|Sir John Hicks]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130726160504/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lord-murray-of-epping-forest-6169393.html Independent obituary: Lord Murray of Epping Forest]</ref>