| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
John Robert (“Jack”) Gray emigrated to Canada in 1905, and enlisted as a Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion of the Canadian Mounted Rifles on 3 Feb 1905. His papers indicate that he had previously served in the “First Royal Dragoons”, probably in the 1890s. They CMR were transported to England late in 1915, by early 1916 they had been converted to a standard infantry battalion attached to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, part of 3rd Canadian Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force. They first saw action in the Battle of Mount Sorrell (Hill 62) near Ypres between 2 and 14 Jun 1916. The Beverley Guardian of 17 Nov noted that Jack had been wounded in action but nothing further is known about this.
Jack was born in Beverley the 30 Sep 1873 and baptised at St Mary’s the 30 Apr 1874. The eldest of eight children his parents were William Gray, a draper and town councillor, and Naomi Morris. The family business was at 52 Toll Gavel where the family lived on the premises.
On 20 June 1900, at St Mark’s Church in Peterborough, Jack married Mary Isabel Lister a commercial bookkeeper, originally from Gateshead. They had a son, John Edward in 1902; the family lived at 3 St Giles’ Croft. In 1905 they emigrated to Canada, living in the Montreal area. Jack continued in his trade. In 1911 his wife and son were recorded visiting Jack’s mother and staying at 30 Wilbert Lane.
After the war Jack and his family were recorded living in the St Antoine, Westmount area of Montreal. There is little information on the rest of his life but he appeared on the Voting Register for the area until 1953
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |