Edis John William Gray
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Edris John William was the eldest son of John and Alice Gray (née Dance).His father, John, was born in Tichmarsh, Northamptonshire, in 1859 and his mother, Alice, in Allensmore, Hereford, in 1866. They were married in 1894 (reg. Hereford) and had two sons, Edis John William b. 19 February 1896 bap. Mayfair Christ Church 12 April 1896 and Ernest Gilbert b. 1898 bap. Christ Church November 1898. Edis' baptismal record gave his father's occupation as valet. However, by 1911 his father was a gate keeper (civil service appointment) and he and his wife and youngest son were living at Victoria Lodge, Hyde Park, London. Edris was away from home, a student at St Cuthbert's College, Sparken Lane, Worksop.Edris' parents and their son Ernest, a bank clerk, were still living at Victoria Gate House when the England & Wales Register was compiled in 1939.
14th Bn Durham Light InfantryEdis John William was killed in action on 27 September 1915 during the Battle Loos (25 September-8 October 1915). However, an enquiry registered with the Red Cross suggests that Edris was initially reported missing in action and that his death on 27 September 1915 was later presumed. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial Dud Corner, France (Panels 106 & 107). The memorial forms the sides and back of Dud Corner Cemetery.He qualified for the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.CWGC - History of the Loos Memorial (extract): 'Dud Corner Cemetery stands almost on the site of a German strong point, the Lens Road Redoubt, captured by the 15th (Scottish) Division on the first day of the battle. The name "Dud Corner" is believed to be due to the large number of unexploded enemy shells found in the neighbourhood after the Armistice. The Loos Memorial commemorates over 20,000 officers and men who have no known grave, who fell in the area from the River Lys to the old southern boundary of the First Army, east and west of Grenay, from the first day of the Battle of Loos to the end of the war.' (www.cwgc.org)
CWGC: 'He was the son of John and Alice Gray of 'The Lodge' Victoria Gate Hyde Park London.'WMR 11598 and WMR 11599. Paddington St John the Evangelist, Hyde Park Crescent, W2 2QD. Edris is commemorated on both memorials.Red Cross POW enquiries: enquiry made by father, Victoria Lodge, Hyde Park, London W2, dated 18 November 1918.
