Profile

BRAY, John William Henry
(Service number 55902)

Aliases	Birth reg. William John Henry; School admission Henry John William
First Rank	Rifleman	Last Rank	Driver

Birth

Date	22 April 1886	Place of Birth	Ashburton

Enlistment Information

Date	26 February 1917	Age	30 years 10 months
Address at Enlistment	Harston Hall, Kilbirnie, Wellington
Occupation	Engine driver
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single, then married in 1917. One child of his wife.
Next of Kin	Mrs J. W. H. BRAY (wife), 79 Abel-Smith Street, Wellington
Religion	Agnostic
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 5½ inches, Weight 141 lbs. Chest measurement 34½-37 inches. Complexion dark. Eyes blue. Hair dark. Sight - right eye 6/6, left eye 6/9. Hearing & colour vision both normal. Limbs well formed. Full & perfect movement of all joints. Chest well formed. Heart & lungs normal. Illness - gonorrhea ....? Free from hernia, varicocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Vaccinated (left arm). No fits. Has atrophy of right testicle - on account of mumps 5 years ago, Has gonorrhea (... treatment at Ly... Hospital 20/4/1917, B2 (deferred for 2 months). Fit A B1. . . . . . Extensive tattoo marks - Right aem Cross; right forearm carrying . . . . ; left arm sailing ship; left forearm fancy design Kia Ora twice; round neck necklace & chain; right breast Geisha; left hand Britannia; in centre peacock.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	Reinforcements, G Company
Date	26 July 1916
Transport	Ulimoara
Embarked From		Destination	Plymouth, Devon, England

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With	NZDAC

Military Awards

Campaigns	Western European
Service Medals	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	21 July 1919	Reason	On Termination of Period of Engagement.

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Labourer

Death

Date	9 October 1973	Age	87 years
Place of Death
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery	Karori Crematorium, Wellington
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials	St Stephen's Anglican Church, Fairlie, Roll of Honour (served)

Biographical Notes

John William Henry BRAY was the eldest son of John and Harriett (née Boulton) Bray. He was educated at Westerfield School and Greenstreet Ashburton School before speniding some twelve years at Cricklewood School. He married widow Christina Williams on 10 May 1917 at Wellington. A child - Thyra G. Willliams - had been born 25 July 1909 (10 June 1909) at Christchurch.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [06 April 2016]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5520 0017569) [16 June 2017]; School Admission Records (Ashburton Branch NZSG, now Ashburton FHG; South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [05 April 2016]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [06 Aptil 2016]; Star, 10 December 1885, Ellesmere Guardian, 9 September 1891, Timaru Herald, 28 December 1903, 28 April 1905, 7 July 1908, 24 November 1913, 14 August 1914, 17 March 1917, 17 September 1917, 11 March 1919, Evening Post, 13 February 1917, 2 June 1917, 4 June 1919, 13 November 1922(Papers Past) [06 April 2016]

External Links

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