GRAY Alexander

CLAY CROSS AND DISTRICT CASUALTIES

We regret that it is not possible to publish a portrait of the late Signaller A L Gray, of Morton. He was the eldest son of the Rev A and Mrs Gray and was born at Briercliffe near Burnley, on August 31st, 1896, his father being at he time, minister of the Hill Lane Baptist Church. He was educated at the Briercliffe Council School, from which he won a scholarship to the Burnley Grammar School. He was qualifying for the profession of a chemist when he enlisted on January 6th 1915, in the Royal Scots Fusiliers. It was at Fort Matilda near Greenock that he was trained as a signaller and went out from there early in September, just in time to take part in the Battle of Loos, where he was wounded while carrying rations to the trenches. Recovering, he went out again in June, 1916. While dumping ammunition for the next day’s advance he received a nasty shrapnel wound in the left leg. Again, he made a good recovery, and, though having passed the preliminary examination for a Cadetship, gave it up in order to go East. On August 25th he left with his draft for Egypt. Later they went forward and took part in the early fighting for the capture of Gaza. There he was wounded by a gunshot in the right thigh, as far is as known on November 2nd. He was transferred to the 27th General Hospital at Cairo where he died on the 12th.

Derbyshire Times : 1st December 1917 p8.

War Graves Commission Citation