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Australia

John was the son of James William Allan BRAY & Mary GARWOOD and was born on the 27th of June 1892 in Newton Heath, Manchester, England.

His parents were married on the 20th of August 1888 in the All Saints Church, Newton Heath, Manchester.

His father was the son of Joseph Robert Allan BRAY & Mary Jane ALLEN and was born in 1866 in Newton Heath, Manchester, England.
His mother was the daughter of Thomas YARWOOD & Jane NORBURY and was born in 1869 in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, England.

John was the eldest child born into this family of 4 children.

ohn’s father was employed in the leather tan yard warehouse labourer and in 1901 the family lived at 249 Droylsden Road Newton Heath, Manchester.

The by 1911 they had moved to 17 School Street, Newton Heath and after completing school John gained employment as a labourer, with his father, in the leather tan yard warehouse.

Two years later John immigrated to South Australia on board the Orvieto, arriving on the 25th of January 1913.

At the age of 22, John enlisted into the AIF on the 9th of July 1915 in Keswick, SA and was allotted the service number 236 and posted to M Group, Base Infantry.
He listed his mother, of 17 School Street, Newton Heath, Manchester, England, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of August he was transferred to the 32nd Battalion, A Company and embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Geelong on the 18th of November 1915.
He served for more than 3 years overseas in France and suffered from sever Trench Feet before he embarked from England on the 8th of November 1918 on board HT Gaika.

He disembarked in Melbourne on the 29th of December, entrained to Adelaide the following day and was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 24th of March 1919.

Whilst he was overseas, Mrs Gertrude DALTON of Cumberland Avenue, Clarence Park, was drawing his pension.

John then secured a 28 acre Soldier Settlement block at the Pompoota Training Farm in 1921. He became an Orchardist and joined the local RSA and Football Club.

John married Doris Marcia MCROSTIE on the 27th of December 1924 in Maughan Church, Adelaide, SA.
Doris was the daughter of Alexander James MCROSTIE & Martha STANLEY and was born on the 31st of March 1892 in Millicent, SA.

They then welcomed Martha Dulcie Fay on the 3rd of December 1925 before they moved to Athelstone and John was a gardener.

On the 12th of July 1927, Doris gave birth to a stillborn daughter and must have suffered from the birth as sadly, Doris died the following day, on the 13th of July 1927 in Miss Sinclair Wood’s Private Hospital in Adelaide.

John then moved to Third Avenue, Ascot Park and married Mabel Louise ZACHOW on the 12th of December 1935.
Mabel was the daughter of Frederick John Franz ZACHOW & Louisa YOUNG and was born on the 30th of June 1898 in Adelaide.

John died on the 9th of August 1943 and was buried in the St. Mary's Anglican Cemetery, St Mary’s;

Mabel died on the 19th of October 1983 and was buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery; General D, Path 12, Grave 843.

Military

At the age of 22, John enlisted into the AIF on the 9th of July 1915 in Keswick, SA and was allotted the service number 236 and posted to M Group, Base Infantry.
He listed his mother, of 17 School Street, Newton Heath, Manchester, England, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of August he was transferred to the 32nd Battalion, A Company.
The 32nd Battalion had just been formed 7 days earlier as part of the 8th Brigade at Mitcham Camp.

On the 16th of September the 32nd Battalion was moved to Cheltenham Racecourse for further training and Musketry training at Pt Adelaide.
John embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Geelong on the 18th of November 1915 at 11am.
They arrived in Port Suez harbour at 5am on the 14th of December and disembarked 4 days later at 7:30am and entrained for Moascar Camp.

Six days later john was absent from the Tattoo in Moascar and was awarded the punishment of; 7 days confined to camp and forfeited 4 days pay.

The 8th Brigade joined the newly raised 5th Australian Division in Egypt and 8 days later John and his Battalion moved to El Fendan Post where the spent Christmas 1915 before moving to Ismalia on the 21st of January 1916.

Then on the 6th of February they entrained from Moascar Station for Tel-el-Kebir to complete further training & drill.

On the 23rd of March they entrained from Ismalia to Ferry Post Staging Camp and relieved the Auckland Battalion on Garrison Duty for 7 days before marching to Duntroon Plateau and then back to Ferry Post for more training.

At Duntroon Plateau, on the 5th of April, John suffered from Venereal Disease and was transferred to the 8th Australian Field Ambulance, the 2nd Australian Casual Clearing Station and then onto the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital in Ismailia.
The following day he was transferred by No.4 Ambulance Train to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital in Abbassia.

He spent 9 days here before being discharged to the 8th Training Battalion in Tel-el-Kebir on the 15th of May. He then rejoined his Battalion at Ferry Post 3 days later.

Reveille sounded at 2:30am on the 28th of May and they marched out to Moascar Camp for Brigade Training.
The following day he was posted to the 9th Training Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir and then embarked with them for England on the 6th of June on board HT Franconia.
Four days later he disembarked in Plymouth and was transferred to the 8th Training Battalion in Codford.

After 3 months of training, John proceeded to France on the 5th of September and marched into the 5th ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Le Havre.
He rejoined the 32nd Battalion on the 24th of September in billets at Rue-de-Quesne.

Whilst John was in England the 32nd Battalion had fought its first major battle at Fromelles on the 19th of July 1916, having only entered the front-line trenches 3 days previously. The attack was a disastrous introduction to battle for the 32nd and they suffered 718 casualties, almost 75 per cent of their total strength, but closer to 90 per cent of their fighting strength.
So although John and his Battalion still spent periods in the front line, they played no major offensive role for the rest of the year, but they were in and out of the front line in the mud and persistent rain.

Whilst they were in the front line at Le Transloy John suffered from severe Trench Feet on the 11th of December and was admitted into the 5th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 36th Casualty Clearing Station at Heilly.
Two days later he was transferred to the 12th General Hospital in Rouen and 5 days later he was transferred by Ambulance Train to Calais.
The following day he was invalided to England on board HS Formosa and admitted into the 1st Southern General in Birmingham.

John spent Christmas 1916 here and after 8 weeks in hospital he was discharged to 2 weeks furlo and then reported to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs on the 5th of March 1917.
Two days later he was AWOL for 2 days and awarded 7 days confined to camp and 3 days forfeited pay.
Then on the 8th of March he suffered from a Venereal Disease and was admitted into the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital in Bulford before being discharged to Base Depot on the 27th of April.

Four days later he was posted to the 16th Brigade in Wareham and to the 70th Battalion.
He then suffered a relapse of the disease and was admitted into the 16th Field Ambulance Hospital on the 10th of May for 4 days.
John rejoined the 70th Battalion at Windmill Hill for further training and then on the 23rd of July he went AWOL for 7 days and was awarded 28 days Field Punishment No.2 and 35 days forfeited pay.

On the 19th of September John was posted to the 69th draft Battalion in Hurdcott and then proceeded to France on the 14th of October and marched into the 5th ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Le Havre.
Ten days later he rejoined the 32nd Battalion at Chateau Segard, near Dickebush and the following day they moved to Montreal Camp, near Ouderdom.
Their next move was to Halifax Camp and then onto Abeele and Neuve Eglise before moving into the support line at Messeines.

All November was spent here before they moved to Wulverghem as a support Battalion in early December.
On the 15th of December they entrained for Desvres and upon arrival the Battalion were involved in a train accident at the station and 65 of their soldiers very injured.
Christmas 1917 was spent at Desvres in training before John suffered from Gonorrheae and was admitted into the 14th Australian Field Ambulance on the 31st of January 1918 and then transferred to the 5th Dressing Station and then onto the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station at Trois Arbres.

Six days later he was transferred to the 39th General Hospital in Le Havre and after 4 weeks of treatment he was discharged to the 5th ADBD.
John rejoined his Battalion on the 23rd of March at Gable Camp, near Wulverghem.

The following day they moved to Godewaersvelde, entrained to Doullens and then marched to Vauchelles and then onto Louvencourt and went into billets.
By mid April they moved into the front line at Hamelet for 10 days and then onto Corbie and into the reserve line for the 29th Battalion, west of Vaux-sur-Somme.

Here, on the 4th of May John suffered from Mustard Gas Burns and was admitted into the 14th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 6th Casualty Clearing Station at Pernes.
The following day he was transferred to the 41st General Hospital in Amiens and after he recovered he rejoined his Battalion before suffering from Trench Fever on the 14th of June at Rivery, near Amiens.

John was admitted into the 12th Casualty Clearing Station at Longpre and 3 days later he was transferred by Ambulance Train to Rouen and admitted into the 10th General Hospital.
He was only here for 2 days and was discharged to the 2nd Convalescent Depot where he spent the next 10 days before being transferred to the 11th Convalescent Depot in Buchy.

John remained here until the 11th of August when he was discharged to the 5th ADBD in Le Havre and medically classified as B2, due to Bronchitis (unable to walk for 5 miles).
A few days later he was reclassified to B3 (only suitable for sedentary work) and recommended he be invalided back to Australia.
On the 16th of September John embarked from Le Havre, disembarked in England and marched into No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth, awaiting his return.

John embarked from England on the 8th of November 1918 on board HT Gaika, disembarked in Melbourne on the 29th of December and entrained to Adelaide the following day.

John was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 24th of March 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.