WORLD WAR I
Bingham War Memorial
Service Record
| 2081 305375 |
Sergeant Horace William Gray | 1/8th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) E Cadet Corps Ripon |
born 1891 |
| Medal roll and card | Enlisted 6/8/14 in Carlton Service in France from 2/3/15 Discharged 21/2/19 Awarded Victory, British and 15 Star medals. Awarded Silver War Badge B/210401 under King’s Regulations XVIa “Surplus to Military requirements (having suffered impairment since entry into the service)” |
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| Service records | On enlistment (6th August 1914) he was 5’ 7½”
tall, with girth of 38½” (expansion 2½”). His
weight was not recorded. His occupation was Painter and decorator. He served in Belgium and France but we have no record of the usual medals being awarded. Service record shows he was in the field and promoted through the ranks: 10/3/15 promoted to Acting Corporal, made substantive the same day. 12/8/15 promoted to Sergeant Assigned his new number 24/4/16 305375. He returned to England as Candidate for a commission 13/3/18 Pension claim for right ankle injury after the war had ended, playing football! This was on November 18th 1918. On 21/1/19 he was diagnosed with severe weakness of the joint and strained ligament. He was treated at 1st Eastern general Hospital, Cambridge. For pension purposes it was assessed at less than 20% disability. On 18th May 1919 he was awarded 26 weeks at 6 shillings and six pence per week as a final award. |
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| War Diary | The full war diary for the Battalion[ https://archive.org/stream/thesherwoodfores20527gut/20527.txt] records the actions in which Horace may have been engaged. A couple of weeks after they landed n France they were under fire and lost two comrades “shot through the head” on an otherwise “quiet day”. Another entry records: “The bathing arrangement in general at this time were somewhat poor, the nearest military baths being at Bailleul, about 8 miles away, so we were very delighted at receiving during our stay at Locre, from Miss Gilstrap, of Winthorpe, three galvanised iron baths, with boiler complete. With these and other devices we were able to get the men bathed at their own billets which was a great boon. |
Photo shows sister, Viloet (left) and mother, Alice (right). Courtesy
of Jo Oliver, grand daughter. |
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| AVL Roll of Honour |
Market Place RoH: served on Western Front |
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Family history etc
| Sergeant Horace William Gray | |||
| 1891 | Born Bingham 2nd June 1891 [family information] | ||
| Census 1901 | Lived on Union St, Bingham with: Father: Alban, b. 1854 Bingham Mother: Elizabeth A, b. 1854 in Flintham Sister: Violet C, b. 1889 |
House Painter |
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| Census 1911 | Lived at 19 Market Place, Bingham with: Uncle: William Gray, widower, b. 1856 Bingham Father: Alban Mother: Elizabeth Ann, b 1854 Flintham Sister: Violet Constance |
House decorator House decorator House decorator |
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| 1928 FREEBMD | APR-JUN Married Whybery Hilda Lethbridge at Leicester | ||
| Horace was a founder member of the Bingham branch of The Royal British Legion and Mrs Gray was on the Ladies Committee | |||
| 1939 Register | Market Place, Bingham Horace W Gray, b. 2 Jun 1891, married Whyberry H Gray, b.21 Apr 1892, married |
Painter & decorator Unpaid domestic duties |
ARP warden |
| 1959 | Horace died on 6 June 1959. His address was “Alban
House”, Market Place. Probate granted to widow Whyberry Hilda Gray and John Vickers, painter. Effects £4740 10s 9d |
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| From ournottinghamshire.org.uk: |  Grays's decorating shop - as it appeared in the early 1970s Reg Baker  The building today (January 2014) |
GRAY, Horace William [of Bingham] 8th Btn Sherwood Foresters Died c.1958 From a news cutting (source unknown), dated 1958 "The funeral took place at All Saints' Church, Bingham, on Wednesday, of Mr Horace William Gray of Alban House, Market Place, Bingham. He was 68. A native of Bingham, Mr Gray was the owner of a family painting and decorating business established nearly a hundred years ago. A member of the parish church choir since he was eight years old, Mr Gray served with the 8th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters throughout the 1914-18 war. He was a former member of the Bingham Bowling club and of the local branch of the British Legion. The funeral service, which was attended by a large number of mourners, was conducted by the Right Reverend A. Morris Gelsthorpe, assistant Bishop of Southwell and Rector of Bingham, assisted by Bishop B. Lansbury and the Rev, T. Barrett. The organist was Mr R. Collins. The principal mourners were Mrs W.H. Gray (widow) Mr & Mrs W. Knight (brother-in-law and sister) Mr & Mrs J. Vickers (son-in-law and daughter) Mr & Mrs W. Goodchild (cousins) Mrs O. Robinson (niece) Mrs O.I. Buzzard (sister-in-law) Miss J. Vickers (granddaughter) Mr Frank Brown and Mr Richard Brown. |
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