Profile

GRAY, Wilfred (Wilfrid) Mayfield
(Service number 10/1498)

Aliases	Also occurs as Wilfrid (NZRGO); & without Mayfield
First Rank	Private	Last Rank	Private

Birth

Date	11 October 1890	Place of Birth	Fairview, South Canterbury

Enlistment Information

Date	20 December 1914	Age	24 yrs 2 mths
Address at Enlistment	Arcade, Feilding
Occupation	Wheelwright
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	J. H. GRAY (father), Bull's
Religion	Wesleyan
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 5 inches. Weight 135 lbs. Chest measurement 32-36 inches. Complexion fair. Eyes grey. Hair light brown. Sight, hearing and colour vision all normal. Limbs and chest well formed. Full movement of joints. Heart and lungs normal. Teeth good. Free from hernia, varicocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Vaccinated. Good bodily and mental health. No slight defects. Scar on outer side of right thigh.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	3rd Reinforcements
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	Wellington Infantry Battalion
Date	14 February 1915
Transport	Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima
Embarked From	Wellington	Destination

Other Units Served With	09/05/1915 - Joined the 17 Ruahine Company, Wellington Infantry Battalion at the Dardanelles
Last Unit Served With	17 Ruahine Company, Wellington Infantry Battalion

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals	1914-15 Star; British War Medal; Victory medal
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date		Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date	8 August 1915	Age	25 yrs
Place of Death	Dardanelles, Gallipoli
Cause	Killed in action
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery	Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey
Memorial Reference	Panel 20
New Zealand Memorials	Memorial wall, Timaru; Bulls War Memorial (as GRAY W.); Feilding War Memorial (as GRAY W)

Biographical Notes

Wilfred GRAY was the third of four sons and one daughter of Joseph Henry and Ellen Elizabeth Ann (nee MAYFIELD) GRAY, of Bulls and Feilding. He was born on 11 October 1890 at Fairview, Timaru, when his father was teaching in the district. Although his Personnel File records his birth as in Oamaru it was registered in Timaru, and both the Cenotaph Database and the CWGC record, as well as a newspaper obituary, note that he was a native of Fairview, South Canterbury. Wilfred was educated at Kennington School near Invercargill, before the family moved north to Bulls where his father was the headmaster.

He was first believed to have been killed on 8 August 1915; this was confirmed by a Court of Enquiry in January 1916. His medals were addressed to his father; also his plaque and scroll. This fit, healthy young man, who had learnt his trade of wheelwright and coach builder (after trying pastoral pursuits), responded early in the war to serve his country; and he seems to have gone through his time at the Front unscathed until that fateful day at Gallipoli, 8 August 1915, less than six months after embarkation, when his life was so cruelly cut short. Wilfred was held in the highest esteem by his employers for both his outstanding exemplary moral character and his sterling worth as a highly skilled tradesman. "He was a prime favourite with his companions, an ardent clean sport, and a reputable footballer", being a prominent member and at one time captin of the shield-winning Feilding Juniors. Wilfred John GRAY, a nephew and namesake of Wilfred, was killed on air operations in WWII; he was the son of Wilfred's younger brother, Harold GRAY.

Sources

Cenotaph Database [26 July 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5539 0047167) [03 July 2014]; CWGC [26 July 2013]; Press, 10 September 1915, 22 September 1915, Manawatu Standard, 18 September 1915, Manawatu Times, 20 September 1915 (Papers Past) [03 July 2014]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [09 July 2014]; School Admission Record (Southland Branch NZSG); SCRoll web submission from R Gray, 12 May 2015

External Links

Military personnel file

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