Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, South Africa.
• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.

Detail :

7/1315 Canterbury Mounted Rifles & 2nd Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment, New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

THE CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW ZEALAND - NORTH CANTERBURY INFANTRY BATTALION
"SENIOR-LIEUT. WILLIAM GEORGE WRAY, of the Civil Service Rifles, joined that corps on its formation in 1900, as junior Lieutenant, and was gazetted senior-lieutenant in 1901. Mr. Wray, who is a son of the late Mr. W. G. Wray, headmaster of the Timaru school, was born in 1875, and educated at Christchurch. He joined the Civil Service at the Government Railways Stores, Addingten, as a cadet, and has since been promoted to the position of senior clerk in the stores department. Mr. Wray has since boyhood taken a very active part in all athletic sports, and has for five years been a member of the Canterbury Railway Club. As a cross country runner he is well known. Since joining the volunteers he has devoted all his spare time to the improvement of his corps. Mr. Wray left New Zealand in February, 1902, as a lieutenant in the Ninth Contingent, despatched for service in South Africa."

Military Cross (MC) awarded to Captain (Temp Major) William George Wray, 2nd Battalion, Otago Regiment, NZEF, WW1 Citation - L.G. 1 January 1917, p46, Rec no 383 - "In the attack on the Switch Line, South-east of High Wood, on 15th September 1916. This officer, though wounded in the hand during the advance, refused to go to the dressing station and preferred to remain with his battalion as so many of his brother officers had fallen. He remained and sited the New Switch Line and helped to consolidate it for eighteen hours until relieved by another battalion. His example had a most inspiring effect on the men who continued the consolidation all day under heavy fire." William Wray served in South Africa (1899-1902) and subsequently as a member of the member of the Militia, Volunteers and Territorials. During WW1 he served initially with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, but transferred to the Otago Regiment in March 1916. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery during the battle of the Somme, 1916. 7-1315 Major William George Wray, Canterbury Mounted Rifles, and 2nd Battalion Otago Infantry Battalion, WW1 With previous service in South Africa and with the volunteers William Wray was commissioned as Captain when he enlisted with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles in 1915. He embarked for Egypt with the 6th Reinforcements on 14th August 1915. In March 1916 he transferred to 2nd Company Otago Infantry Battalion to serve on the Western Front. On 15th September 1916 Captain Wray received a severe gunshot wound to the left shoulder and hand during the attack on Switch Line, south-east of High Wood, on the Somme, and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery under fire. He was again wounded on 31st May 1917 (June 1st), while quartered at Hill 63 during the lead-up to the Battle of Messines a shell burst outside his quarters and Major Wray was evacuated back to England. This was the end of his front-line service. In February 1918 he was given command of troops on a returning transport HMS Tahiti, but shortly after his return to New Zealand Wray was discharged from the NZEF as no longer fit for active service.

Masonic :

Entered into the English Constitution through Greymouth Lodge No. 1233, from the New Zealand Constitution (No. 2 Lodge, Wellington). He joined Lazar Lodge No. 1689, also located at Greymouth 2nd November, 1911, and further the St. Alban's Lodge No. 2597, after the war on 22nd June, 1921. He was also a member of Lodge No. 116 in the Scottish Constitution, Lewis Mark Lodge No. 49 and Lodge 130 of the New Zealand Constitution. He is noted as being employed as a railway official and as an accountant.

He is also mentioned as a Knight Templar: " In 1929 Preceptories were opened at both ends of the country, Waitemata in Auckland and Southland in Invercargill, respectively English and Scottish, heralding a steady growth, in spite of a depressed economy in the thirties and the constraints of war between 1939 and 1945, boom times following when Masonry generally reflected an expansive period. Notable among Waitemata’s petitioners were A.S. Bankart, District Grand Master for Auckland, W.T. Charlewood above-mentioned, and Major William George Wray, later to become Provincial Prior. Southland’s petitioners were headed by George Barclay, Grand Secretary of the Craft, made Past Deputy Grand Master that year and now a Knight Grand Cross of Scottish Templary, and Evan McKenzie Lyon, destined to be District Grand Prior on the formation of the new District of New Zealand South."

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley