Jacques Gaston Murray, known as Tony Murray (born Gaston Jacques Kalifa; 8 February 1920 – 6 June 2023) was a French-born British billionaire businessman.[1]
Murray owned Andrew Sykes Group, the heating and air-conditioning equipment hire company, and London Security, the Leeds-based fire protection business which includes the Nu-Swift fire extinguisher brand.[2]
Murray was born in Paris, France on 8 February 1920 and was originally named Gaston Jacques Kalifa. His father ran a construction company that worked on infrastructure projects such as bridges.[4] He was accepted to study architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris before the outbreak of World War II.[4] He escaped from Paris at the time of the German invasion of France and reached Biarritz where he boarded a Polish ship which took him to England. He enlisted in the Free French forces and eventually transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF). He flew 38 missions as a navigator in No. 613 Squadron RAF.[5][4] He received British citizenship after the war.[6]
His father was murdered in Auschwitz. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government.[7]
Career
In 1982, Murray bought Nu-Swift, a Leeds manufacturer of fire extinguishers then in difficulties, with the businessman Michael Ashcroft. Murray later "became irritated" by Ashcroft getting too much of the credit for turning round the company.[8]
Personal life and death
His sons, Jean-Jacques Murray and Jean‑Pierre Murray are both directors of London Security, the latter being non-executive.[9]
Murray turned 100 in February 2020,[10] and died on 6 June 2023, at the age of 103.[11]
