Six Word Saturday: ANZAC Day remembrance — Gray brothers, Hororata

Eric Andrew GRAY: 20 October 1895 – 27 March 1918.

Killed in action during the Spring Offensive in the Somme Valley, France.

Wallace Oliver GRAY: 21 December 1892 – 19 October 1981

Wounded in action, Christmas Day 1917. Subsequently contracted illness and declared unfit for military service. Discharged 21 May 1919.

Wallace Oliver Gray, far right of photo, with wife Merle Matilda Wright and son Roger Gray. c. 1956. Photo: Gray-Dove family archive.

Hand-written cards of remembrance by Auckland school children. Thousands of these have been placed together to form the shape of a gigantic poppy on the field at Auckland Domain. Photo: Su Leslie, 2015.

 

Six word Saturday: so much information on one page

Information provided by Wallace Oliver Gray, 1892-1981, when he joined the NZ Expeditionary Force in WWI. My starting point, not only to try and understand his war, but also to map out this branch of the Big T’s family. Image: Archives New Zealand.

Six word Saturday: trying to decipher another war record

Casualty sheet: military service record of Wallace Oliver Gray. Image from Archives NZ.

Having learned as much as I could about the military service and death of Eric Gray, I’m now ready to research the story of his older brother Wallace.

Wordless Wednesday: getting ready to explore another branch of the family

Wallace Oliver Gray (far left) and Meryl Matilda Wright (second from right); the big T’s grandparents, and a branch of the family about whom we know little. Wallace Gray served with the NZ Expeditionary Force in France in WWI. Despite being wounded, and suffering major illness he eventually returned home. Photo: Gray family archive.