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Mar 2, 1894
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Born in Marmora, Ontario to
William Robert and Margaret (nee Revoy) Gray
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Jun 27, 1913
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Shown on the nominal roll of
the 49th Regiment Hastings Rifles with the rank of Private
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Jun 14, 1914
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Shown on the nominal roll of
the 49th Regiment Hastings Rifles with the rank of Sergeant
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Nov 13, 1914
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Attested into the 21st
Battalion in Kingston, Ontario
Ø Number 59386 (temporary number 181)
Ø Next of kin William R. Gray, Marmora, Ontario
Ø Previous occupation given as Clerk
Ø Previous military experience given as 49th
Regiment, Hastings Rifles for 4 years
Ø Religion given as Church of England
Ø Posted to “B” Company
o This was later reorganized into “A” Company
o He was later posted to the Machine Gun Section
and appointed to the rank of Acting Lance Corporal
The 21st Battalion trained
in the Kingston, Ontario area through the winter of 1914-15.
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May 6, 1915
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Embarked the RMS Metagama in
Montreal, Quebec
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May 15, 1915
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Disembarked in Devonport,
England and the battalion proceeded to the West Sandling Camp, near Hythe,
Kent to continue training
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Jun 16, 1915
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Forfeited 1 day’s pay for
being absent
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Sep 14, 1915
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Embarked the St. Seiriol in
Folkestone
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Sep 15, 1915
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Disembarked in Boulogne,
France and the battalion proceeded to St. Omer
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Jul 3, 1916
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Proceeded on the Vickers
Machine Gun Course
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Sep 15, 1916
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During the 21st
Battalion’s attack on the sugar factory, a strongly defended German
headquarters south of Courcelette, France, Percy Gray received a shrapnel
wound to his right knee and was evacuated to a field ambulance for first aid
before being transported to a casualty clearing station
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Sep 16, 1916
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Transferred to the Liverpool
Merchant’s Mobile Hospital in Etaples
Reverted to the rank of
Private on admission to hospital
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Sep 20, 1916
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Invalided to England aboard
the Hospital Ship Brighton
On arrival in England he was
admitted to the Queen Mary’s Military Hospital in Whalley, Lancashire
Transferred to the CCAC
(Canadian Casualty Assembly Centre) for pay purposes while in hospital
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Nov 13, 1916
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Transferred to the Military
Convalescent Hospital in Woodcote Park, Epsom
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Jan 9, 1917
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Discharged from hospital and
attached to the 3rd CCD (Canadian Command Depot)
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Mar 10, 1917
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Transferred to the EORD
(Eastern Ontario Regimental Depot)
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Mar 11, 1917
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Attached to the CMBD (Canadian
Machine Gun Depot) for duty at Seaford
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Jun 7, 1917
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Transferred to the 6th
Reserve Battalion but remained attached to the Canadian Machine Gun Depot
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Jul 29, 1917
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Appointed to the rank of
Acting Corporal with pay
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Sep 28, 1917
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Granted permission to marry
Elsie Amelia Rundle at public expense.
His next of kin was later
changed to read Mrs. EA Gray, 23 Hazeldon Road, Crofton Park, London, England
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Jan 7, 1918
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Ceased to be attached and
Taken On the Strength of the Canadian Machine Gun Depot at Seaford
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Aug 16, 1918
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Attached to the Segregation
Camp at Bourley
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Sep 14, 1918
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Rejoined the Canadian Machine
Gun Depot
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Jan 20, 1919
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Appointed to the rank of
Acting Sergeant with pay
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Jun 8, 1919
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Attached to the CDD (Canadian
Discharge Depot) in Buxton pending return to Canada
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Aug 1, 1919
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Embarked the SS Lapland in
Liverpool with his wife
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Aug 9, 1919
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Disembarked in Halifax, Nova
Scotia
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Aug 12, 1919
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Discharged from the CEF in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ø Rank on discharge
Acting Sergeant
Ø War Service Badge Class
“A” issued number 255328
Ø Proposed residence
on discharge, Marmora, Ontario
Following his discharge, the
1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medals were sent to him at
Marmora
Following the war, Percy Gray
joined the peacetime militia and rose to the rank of Captain. In 1936 he began a career in the Ontario
Provincial Police serving the Marmora/Bancroft area. He also served a time as Police Chief in
Marmora.
Percy Gray was active in the
Great War Veterans Association and the Royal Canadian Legion, and served as
the first President of Branch 237 in Marmora.
At the onset of WW2 in 1939,
Percy enlisted in the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment and was
subsequently transferred to be in charge of the Ottawa Provost Corps
Detachment where he was promoted to the rank of Major. At the end of WW2, he returned to Marmora
for employment with the Bascombe Lumber Co. and later as a mail carrier.
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Jun 22, 1951
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The liquor Store in Marmora
was officially opened and Percy was one of the first employees hired.
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Jan 25, 1956
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Percy Gray died at home in
Marmora of a heart attack and was buried in the Marmora Common Cemetery
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