GRAY, Alfred Stuart
| Service Number: | 6266 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Scone, New South Wales, Australia, 5 August 1886 |
| Home Town: | Scone, Upper Hunter Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Scone Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Night Officer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Baulkham Hills William Thompson Masonic School War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Scone Barwick House War Memorial Arch, Sydney United Grand Lodge Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6266, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 6266, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 6266, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 28 Apr 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 6266, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6266 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-10-04 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Alfred Stuart GRAY, (Service Number 6266), was born at Scone, NSW, on 5 August 1886. After finishing his schooling at Scone Public School, he joined the NSWGR&T as a junior porter in the Sydney District of the Railway Traffic Branch.
This was the start of a fairly nomadic career with the NSWGR. On 1 January 1906 he transferred, as a junior porter, to Murrurundi and it was there that he was re-graded as porter on 1 November 1907. On 25 June 1908 he was appointed night officer at Quipolly but within six weeks he had been transferred twice (as night officer): to Murulla on 11 July 1908 and then back to Murrurundi on 1 August 1908. On 1 January 1910 he was assigned to Murrurundi Relief and stayed in this role until 4 June 1912 when he was transferred to Newcastle Relief. Finally, on 9 June 1913 he was appointed night officer at Albury.
He was killed in action at Broodseined Ridge, Belgium, on 4 October 1917.
Depositions in his Red Cross Enquiry Bureau file describe what happened. Private V Smith (3603) stated: ‘He was in my company, A. Coy. I saw him killed at Anzac Ridge near Ypres, when he was hit by a piece of shell in the back of the neck and death was instantaneous. We were deepening [a] trench at the time of casualty, which took place at about 9.30 am on October 4th 1917. … I saw him buried at place of casualty on the field and grave was marked by a rifle.’
Submitted 8 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Alfred Stuart GRAY (Service Number 6266) was born at Scone, NSW, on 5th August 1886. After finishing his schooling at Scone Public School, he joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a junior porter in the Sydney District of the Railway Traffic Branch.
On 1st January 1906 he transferred, as a junior porter, to Murrurundi. He was re-graded as porter on 1st November 1907. On 25th June 1908 he was appointed night officer at Quipolly. Within six weeks he had been transferred twice (as night officer): to Murulla on 11th July 1908 and then back to Murrurundi on 1st August 1908. On 1st January 1910 he was assigned to Murrurundi Relief and stayed in this role until 4th June 1912 when he was transferred to Newcastle Relief. Finally, on 9th June 1913 he was appointed night officer at Albury.
On 25th September 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces. A note on his Railway Record card states: ‘Mr Gray accepted for Military Duty. Mother and sister moving to Sydney. Furniture and effects to be conveyed from Albury to Darling Harbour at half rates. Approved.’
His date of start of service with the AIF was 15 August 1915 although enlistment formalities were not completed until 19th September 1915. He was posted to the 20th Reinforcements to the 2nd Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private (Service No. 6266). He nominated his mother, Olive Jane Grace Gray, as his next of kin and he initially gave her address as being in Roseville, NSW, but this was soon amended to Artarmon, NSW.
Over a year after enlisting, Alfred embarked for England aboard HMAT A14 ‘Euripides’ at Sydney on 9th September 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England on 26th October 1916. After a period of training in England he left there for France on 4th February 1917. He spent a week at the 1st Australian Division Base Depot before being taken on strength of the 2nd Infantry Battalion on 12th February 1917.
On 28th April 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. After this he spent from 12th to 27th May 1917 in hospital with conjunctivitis. From 17th June to 19th July 1917 he received further training.
He was killed in action at Passchendaele, Belgium, on 4th October 1917.
Depositions in his Red Cross Enquiry Bureau file describe what happened. Private V Smith (3603) stated: ‘He was in my company, A. Coy. I saw him killed at Anzac Ridge near Ypres, when he was hit by a piece of shell in the back of the neck and death was instantaneous. We were deepening [a] trench at the time of casualty, which took place at about 9.30 am on October 4th 1917. … I saw him buried at place of casualty on the field and grave was marked by a rifle.’
He is commemorated at the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium. The Australian War Memorial lists his place of association as Scone, NSW.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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