Murdo McPherson was born in Tongue in 1892, son of Murdo McPherson of Talmine and Christina Gunn. They were married in 1882 in Fraserburgh. He enlisted into the army in Tongue, once he had completed his training he was posted to the 14 Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, with the 120 Brigade, 40 Infantry Division formed up at Aldershot in Hampshire.

The 40 Division arrived in France on the 9 of June 1916, taking over the front line trenches at Lens to gain trench experience of war conditions. In November 1916 at the end of the Battle of the Somme the 120 Brigade entered the line to the North of Beaumont Hamel, close to the village of Hebuterne, to hold the new positions gained in the previous months of heavy fighting. Divisional Headquarters was set up at Bray and tasked to hold the new front line over the winter months. The trenches in this sector were considered to be some of the worst in France, the Argylls made the best of the conditions in this sector gaining much need experience in trench fighting and tactics.

On the 14 of March 1917, the Germans withdrew to new defences they had prepared, called the Hindenburg Line. The 40 Division followed the enemy as they retired to their newly prepared positions, captured Mont St Quentin and Haut Allianes before digging in front of the heavily defended German Line.

The 14 Argylls were stood to at 5:30am, ready to move forward and engage the attacking enemy forces. At 2:15pm the battalion moved forward towards the village of Vaux-Vraucourt, to the northeast of Bapaume and set up battalion headquarters on the Vaulx-Mory road. By 7pm the 14 Argylls were in support of the 6/7 Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 4/5 Lincoln Regiment, with their right flank on the Vaulx-Ecoust road. At 10:30pm a strong patrol worked its way along the trench running from map reference C13 to B5.0, clearing enemy positions as they went. The battalion then consolidated this new line and dug in to await the expected German counter-attack.

Private Murdo McPherson was one of 310 casualties suffered by the 14 Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders between the 21 and 26 of March 1918; his body was not found when the fighting was over.

He had two brothers who both served in the Armed Forces during World War One, Robert served in the Canadian Army and George was with the Royal Naval Reserve on board H.M.S. Pelorus. Both his brothers survived the war and returned home to their family in Melness.