William Gray, Northumberland Fusilier
 

An auction house (in Staffordshire) I buy from frequently had some 7th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers medals in their last sale. The recipient apparently came from Amble, one William Gray.

So I now have his 1914-15 Star and Victory Medal. He would be entitled to a Silver British War Medal (which is missing). Bizarrely, same auction, in another lot was a British War Medal to another William Gray, also Northumberland Fusiliers; but a different number and battalion. I'm wondering if they are related?

I'll jot down my findings as I go in this thread - it's quite a good medium for notes, also someone else might know something regarding the life and times of our William Grays.

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the other chap:

6-2003 Pte W. Gray North'd Fus.


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So.... from the medal index card, our 3049/Gray was also numbered 290836. Also on the card is another number '3051', a couple of digits away from his original number, not sure what that is.

Card on ancestry (will require login to site)

The card gives his entry date to a theatre of war as 1st November 1915, so did not go with the bulk of the original battalion that went in April.

The card also has a date in pencil "30/4/58"

Absent Voters List
 

On our AVLs our man is recorded with his six digit number, address '22 Church Street'. So definitely an Amble man at some point in his life!

In 1911 the '22 Church Street' address is occupied by widow Martha Hart and her daughter, also Martha.
So I went to the new 1921 census and '22' is missing from their list of Church Street addresses. Not sure if that means it was unoccupied or numbers changed? At this time you have to pay to view the 1921 census so you cannot browse around the census without incurring high costs.

If our Mr Gray has moved on between the 1918 AVL and 1921 census I'm getting the feeling I might have major problems tracking this man down.


Anyway, sort of off topic but they are doing a wonderful job of renovating those two houses at the top of Church Street. No idea what numbers these are.


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Regarding 22 Church Street on the 'findmypast' 1939 Register, there's something up regarding what they are claiming to be '22' in their transcription. It appears to be number '3' on the document itself? There are also other errors in the transcription.

findmypast transcription

findmypast actual document photo for that transcription

Do I recall a house sized 'gap' in Church Street at one time? was it next to NF Youngs? and was built on?

Hollydog will know.

1901 census Amble area, William Gray / Grey born after 1875:

William Grey b Uphall [Scotland] 1895 age 6. Panhaven Road Amble. father James (my g-grandfather's next door neighbour)

William Gray b Morpeth 1887 age 14. Coal Miner. Dansfield Place Radcliffe. Stepson of William Harrison, mother Margaret

William Gray b Warkworth 1884 age 17. Coal Miner. Long Row North Radcliffe. Stepson of David Douglas, mother Isabella.

William Grey b Radcliffe 1876 age 25. Coal Miner. Dial Place Warkworth. Father William, mother Jane

1911 census Amble area, William Gray / Grey born after 1875:

William Grey b Uphall Mid Lothian 1895 age 16 Coal Miner. Blackwood Street Amble. stepson? of George Gilmour

Willie Grey b Craster 1897 age 14 Coal Miner. 28 Newburgh Street, Amble. Father Thomas, mother Margaret Isebell

William Gray b Morpeth 1887 age 24 Bricklayer. 50 Dansfield Place Radcliffe. Mother Margaret *William Gray is Head of household.

William Gray b Warkworth 1888 age 23 Coal Miner. Long Row North Radcliffe. Border with Scott household

William Hodgson Gray b Heddon on the Wall 1894 age 14 Draper's Assistant. Newburgh Row, Radcliffe. Father William Gray Police Constable, mother Elizabeth.

The houses being renovated are 1 and 3 Church St. We (N and F Young) are number 5. The missing house site is number 7 Church St, now our garage.
Number 7 was demolished by Amble Urban District Council as a compulsory purchase. The idea was to purchase and demolish down that side of the street to provide parking and access for Queen St shopping. They only got as far as number 7.
The land was subsequently owned by the landlord of the Waterloo who being a FEPOW himself wanted to build a new Legion club on it. We bought it off him in 1996 to allow us to extend our existing buildings.
Regarding the even numbers, they are on the otherside of the street. Many had upstairs flats, some of those flats are accessed from the back lane and often confuse courier drivers accordingly!

I have this Wm Grey dob 13/1/1876 son of Wm Grey and Jane Smailes living at Dial place in 1901 nothing for 1911 then Wagon Way Rd Alnwick in 1939, no death either.
That's it if that helps eliminate him...

Further to my comment, if you look at the stonework on the "even" side of Church St there is a walled up doorway next to each existing doorway. I believe that downstairs and upstairs were separate and then each pair was knocked into one bigger house at a later date. The stonework matches very well so it could well have been 100 years ago!

Ah right.. I still had 4 years to go in the antipodes at that time so probably missed the building work period.

That will explain it; going off '22's' disappearance off the records it probably occurred around 1920, for that house anyway.

contradicting what I've just said - the house/flat appears to be still there on our 1926 electoral roll. (roll entry or line 554 and 555)

On there we have William Gray and Jane Elizabeth Gray at No. 22. Likely to be our man or his father? Again from past experience you have to be careful about making assumptions!

I can help you with some of the William Grays....one a brother of my grandfather, and the other a cousin. I'll have a dig round in my family tree!

Ok....1901 census, William Gray born 1884 Warkworth and living at Long Row with David Douglas and Isabella is the same as the 1911 census William born 1887, lodging with the Scotts at Radcliffe. He is also the one in 1926 living with Jane Elizabeth in Church Street. He was my grandfather's brother. A silver badge holder, he was badly shell shocked and suffered for the rest of his life. A private in the NF he used his middle name Edward in the military and he carried a different service number.

This William enlisted 29 March 1915, service number 19034 and was discharged on 6 September 1918.

William, born 1876 in Radcliffe was a coal miner, lodging in Pegswood at the 1911 census. He is back in Amble in the 1921 and then Alnwick 1939. He was a single man but I do not know his war record, if any, or the date of his death.

Wonderful. is this your man? (pension card) has given name as Edward, service number as 19034, has a date on it that agrees with your 6.9.1918 discharge date. Card shows dead and a date 7/12/34 ? and a Newcastle address for NOK.

Now this card appears to relate to the same man. Looks like his widow's claim for his pension. She is shown as 'Margaret Jane Gray'

Now you've blown my FH up! Edward is clearly not my William who died in 1964. So that theory will be put on the scrap heap.
I've had a look at the 1921 census under the half price offer at FMP. My William with his wife Janey Elizabeth and his mother are in that well known 22 Church Street. So he is on the AVL and the 1926 electoral roll.
It could be that those medals belonged to my William, more digging required.
Even more confusing is that he is calling himself Thomas William on the census, Thomas being his dead older brother and his age is out. Definitely him though because he married Janey ELizabeth and his mother is definitely my great grandmother.