Name
Horace Gray
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
04/04/1917
37
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Sapper
551000
Royal Engineers
525th Field Company
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Searched but not found
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HERTFORD (ALL SAINTS) CHURCHYARD
2nd Quarter, 1st Row 4th Grave.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Hertford Heath Village Memorial, Hertford Town Memorial, All Saints Church Memorial, Hertford, St Andrew’s Church Roll of Honour, Hertford, Hertford Grammar School (now Richard Hale School), Bengeo War Memorial Plaque Holy Trinity Church, Bengeo, Holy Trinity Church Memorial, Little Amwell, Not on the Great Amwell memorials
Pre War
Horace was born in 1880, in Great Amwell, to parents William Gray, a builder, and Sarah A (nee Jaggers), he had one brother George and four sisters Lizzie, Alice Kate and Mabel/
In 1881 they were living in London Road, Great Amwell. His father was a builder employing 12 men and two boys. On the 1891 Census the family were still living in Graeat Amwell. On 1901 Census Horace was living on his own at 4 New Zealand Cottages, Little Amwell and was employed as a carpenter/joiner, later that year he married Annie Eliza Ruffles in Little Amwell.
By the 1911 Census they were living at 73 Bengeo Street, Hertford, with their son Horace William, who was eight years old and Horace was a building contractor/employer. They later lived in Rosslyn Villa, Ware Road, Hertford and he was a Hertford town councillor for five years.
Wartime Service
Horace enlisted at Chelsea as Sapper 551000 and was posted to 525 Company London Reserve Field Company. This unit provided reserves for the Royal Engineers of the 47th (2nd London) Division and were based at Maidenhead and Epsom.
No service records were found for Horace. Also as there are no records of any medals for Horace it is unlikely that he served overseas. He died on 4 Apr 1917 in Richmond Hospital, Surrey after an explosion in a munitions factory (Waters Garage) at Hatfield.
Additional Information
According to probate records Horace's family were living at Rosslyn Villa, Ware Road, Hertford, at the time of his death and £2818.13s.7d was left to his widow. War Gratuity £3 and arrears of £3 1s 4d was paid to his widow.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Malcolm Lennox, Terry & Glenis Collins, Jonty Wild
