n the final year of the Anzac Centenary, and a year in which the world will unite on 11 November to remember the 100th anniversary of Armistice, let these adorable Australia in the Great War bears help Australians, young and old, connect to the stories and times we remember.

Captain John Murray continues the Great War commemorative bears collection and story. The original 1914 edition Private Murray bear shared the story of Australia's entry into the war and became the central character in the much loved Australia in the Great War diaries shared by thousands of Australians.
For the many thousands of Australians who enlisted in the early years of the war the idea of the "Great Adventure" was soon replaced by the realities of deadly new technologies such as aeroplanes, tanks and poisonous gases. But nothing was more deadly than the relentless shells of heavy artillery and the often futile charges into no-man's land.

Murray, like many who served, could be promoted through the ranks to replace those officers lost in the fighting. Officers did not wear the 1912 designed standard dismounted troops' khaki uniform with its loose fitting jacket, puttees and slouch hat. Instead they purchased the standard officers' tunic, shirt and tie, and trousers. The three 'pips' on Murray's epaulettes denote his Captain rank and he would wear only the standard British Service Cap, or his Brodie helmet in battle.
For hundreds of thousands of Australian wounded, injured or seriously ill, hospitalisation was for the most simply a break from the fighting. Most would return to the front to face the perils once more.
With Captain Murray we proudly remember their service and sacrifice and the courage of those who returned to contributed to Australia's development for years to come. The Captain John Murray bear is limited to 5000 units world wide.