GRAY, Aubrey Spencer
| Service Numbers: | 921, V12847 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | Army Pay Corps (AIF) |
| Born: | Rochester, Victoria, Australia, 27 May 1895 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Grocer |
| Memorials: | Bendigo Central School Honor Roll, Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, Rochester Circuit Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 921, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 921, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 921, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 921, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW to upper extremities | |
| 3 Sep 1915: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 921, 7th Infantry Battalion, Medically unfit (GSW and knee arthritis) |
World War 2 Service
| 5 Apr 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Captain, V12847, Australian Army Pay Corps (AMF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1944: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Captain, V12847, Army Pay Corps (AIF) |
Help us honour Aubrey Spencer Gray's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Larna Malone
Aubrey Spencer Gray, known as ‘Aub’ and ‘Snag’, was born in Rochester, the son of Richard Francis & Jane Gray. He was a Grocer, 19 years & 3 months old, and lived in Wattle Square, Bendigo. He had previously served in the Senior Cadets and was currently serving in the 67th Infantry.
He Enlisted in Echuca on 19/8/14 and arrived at Broadmeadows Camp on 21/8/14. He was allotted Service no. 921 and appointed to ‘H’ Company, 7th Battalion.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
On 3rd February the 7th Battalion was ordered to leave for Ismailia on the Suez Canal. The British had long expected that an attack would be made on the Canal. This Attack came at the start of February. The 7th Battalion returned to Mena Camp on 12/2/16.
On 17/2/16 ‘Aub’ Gray was admitted to hospital with Bronchitis. He had caught a cold when sleeping out at Ismailia. He was discharged from hospital a week later.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915. Aubrey Spencer Gray was Wounded during the Landing, sustaining GSW upper extremities, i.e. a Bullet wound in his right shoulder. He was later Diagnosed with Chronic Arthritis in the right knee, possibly a pre-existing condition accentuated by active service. He RTA M.U. on 10/6/15.
Aubrey Spencer Gray was interviewed by a reporter from the Bendigo Advertiser when he returned home. “When the beach had been gained the men threw off their heavy loads , only retaining their arms, water bottles, food and trenching tool. . . . . . . I had not gone five yards when a bullet went through my right shoulder. It was then about five o’clock and we had got in about 3 and a half miles from the shore. . . . . It is a bit hard to be put out in ten hours’ fighting after training for months. But there were other poor fellows who did not reach the shore alive, and never had the privilege of firing a shot. I fired about 180 shots.” (Segment from A. S. Gray Interview. Bendigonian July 29, 1915. )
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone
Click images to start slideshow.