GREAT, GREAT UNCLE ALBERT RAY, KILLED IN JULY 1915 AT HOOGE...

 ALBERT RAY, a great, great uncle, who was killed in World War 1…

This guy appears to be a relative of mine who perished during the horrors of the Great War. However, despite only being a soldier for just over 11 months before being killed, his army record is, let’s say, colourful…

He joined the 7th Battalion of the King’s Own (Royal) Rifle Corps as a rifleman, on 19th August 1914 in Winchester, his army number being 3592. His training here in the UK was seemingly at camps at Aldershot, Bordon and Grayshott/Hindhead, before leaving for Boulogne on 19th May 1915. 

ALDERSHOT...

His Battalion was sent to fight at Hooge, where he was likely to have been amongst the first troops to be attacked by flame-throwers but it appears that the Germans launched a huge assault on the 7th Battalion at the end of July, forcing them to succumb and surrender most of their trenches. This is very likely where Albert died. 

FLAME THROWING AT HOOGE...

HOOGE...

Albert was listed ‘missing’ and then regarded as dead on 30th July, so it is anyone’s guess where he passed away. His remains were never found and indeed he is listed on the Menin Gate memorial at Ypres.

PROOF THAT ALBERT IS MENTIONED ON THE LISTS AT MENIN GATE...

THE MEMORIAL AT THE MENIN GATE, YPRES...

MENIN ROAD FROM HOOGE BY GEORGE EDMUND BUTLER...

His sister Susannah was vigilant in claiming Albert’s medals and plaque and there are surviving copies of her correspondence amongst her brother’s official war records.  

So, what do we know of Albert? He had lived at 30 Great Francis Street, Birmingham when he enlisted, probably because his mum, Naomi had died in 1912. He and his father were therefore left to manage together at 141 Heneage Street and I guess that Susannah, by then married to John Carter might have taken Albert in, possibly with their dad. Albert had been living alone with his parents in 1911, when he was a blacksmith striker, working on, er, fork making… His mum and dad were listed as 72 year old hawkers…

OFF-LICENCE IN GREAT FRANCIS STREET...

His brown hair and eyes added to a fresh complexion at his attestation but he sported a tattoo on his left forearm too. Sadly, his behaviour was not good after joining the army, getting into trouble at Aldershot within 5 weeks for ‘creating a disturbance after nights out’. He was also insolent to an NCO and made a false accusation against the officer too… He received a fine of 10 days’ pay as a punishment for those misdemeanours.

At Bordon Camp on 22nd March 1915, he was confined to barracks for three days for ‘having an untidy cot’, then at Hindhead, near Grayshott, he went ‘absent off pass’, 12 midnight until 2.30pm, for which he was fined 3 days’ pay.

Back in Aldershot on 15th April, he was again ‘absent off pass’, 12 midnight until 7.15pm on 16th April. This time he was fined 7 days’ pay…

Finally, after the Battalion had embarked for France and finally reached Zuytpeene, on 26th May he was absent from parade and thus confined to barracks for 7 days…

THE ZUYTPEENE MEMORIAL...

By 30th July he was regarded as dead:

‘The Army Council has decided that this soldier is to be regarded for official purposes as having died on or since 30-7-15.’

Not the most glorious of army careers then…

WHO WAS A NAUGHTY BOY THEN?

His sister Susannah busily wrote letters to the military, one of which understandably seemed extremely concerned that there had been no definite news about Albert. 

She worked hard to claim a Victory Medal for him and also a plaque. The Victory Medal was received on 7th May 1921…

Remarkably, the War Memorial to the King’s Own Rifle Corps is in Winchester and by a stroke of good fortune, I took some photos of it in 2016, knowing nothing of Albert.

THE MEMORIAL TO THE KING'S OWN RIFLE CORPS, WINCHESTER...

The statue was criticised for the fact that the soldier wasn’t standing to attention but I guess that Albert wouldn’t have appreciated that much, following his own behaviour before he was killed in action… 

I wrote some words about the memorial at the time and I would like to dedicate them to Albert. He did, after all, lose his life, despite his poor behaviour...

Getting Attention…

Musing, not standing to attention;

Gazing into the distance,

Where the enemy always seemed to be,

Or where peace hovered, tantalising…

Dreaming maybe for an instance?

Reality too damning to mention,

Too vile for retention

And thus he loiters awry:

Stubborn, resilient, sated, realising

That mankind was beyond redemption…

Pete Ray

September 2016

The World War 1 memorial outside Winchester Cathedral.

The soldier gazes at the Cathedral, interestingly.

I believe complaints were made that the soldier wasn’t standing to attention on the plinth.

Hardly the point…

HE WAS & IS REMEMBERED...