Born at Woolwich c.1817.
He entered the Royal Military Asylum at Chelsea on the 18th of June 1824. His father, James Gray, was shown as serving in the Royal Artillery. Both his father and mother, Janet, are shown as being "Alive" at this time.
Enlisted at Westminster on the 21st of April 1832.
Age 15 years 1 month.
Height: 5' 6".
Trade: None.
From Private to Trumpeter. 8th of December 1836.
Appointed to Trumpet-Major on the 3rd of June 1851.
Slightly wounded in action at Balaclava.
Horse Guards,
10th February 1856.
Sir, — I have laid before the Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief your letter of the 5th inst., requesting that the Trumpet Major of the 8th Hussars be ordered to proceed from the Service troops to the Depot troops and am directed to acquaint you in reply that the proper place of that non-commissioned officer with the Head-quarters of his regiment and that your request cannot be permitted.
I have, etc. etc.,
W.A. Forster, DAG.
[To:] Colonel Gibsone, Commanding Cavalry Depot, Newbridge.
Reverted to Duty Sergeant on the 23rd of September 1857.
Sent to the Depot at Canterbury when the regiment went to India for the Mutiny campaign in October of 1858.
1861 Census
Victoria Inn, 22 Hardman Street, Manchester.
William Gray, 42, unmarried, Sergeant 8th Hussars, born Woolwich.
Discharged from Canterbury on the 11th of June 1861.
"Free to pension," after 24 years' service.
Aged 42 years 3 months on discharge.
Conduct: "very good".
In possession of two Good Conduct badges when promoted.
Pension increased to 2/- per day from the 20th of August 1861.
Intended to live, c/o. "The Freeman Hotel", Woolwich, Kent.
He is said to have spent some time in Australia before 1875, but he was again living in Woolwich during that same year.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and
Sebastopol.
Awarded the French Legion of Honour. It is not known just when or under what circumstances this was awarded.
A Confidential Memo from the Horse Guards dated the 31st of December 1855, stated that:
"It is intended to distribute a certain number of Decorations of the French Legion of Honour to Non-Commissioned Officers and men of the Cavalry Regiments who have been proposed as the most deserving, of the Fifth Class. The Memo ended with the request that seven further names of N.C.O.s or Privates as considered most deserving be transmitted as soon as possible..."
In answer to this the Commanding Officer of the regiment sent the following two letters:
8th Hussars, Ismid.
Decr 29th 1855.
Sir — With reference to your confidential memorandum of the 24th inst, I beg to submit the Non Commissioned Officer named in the Margin (Trumpet Major William Gray as the person most deserving of distinction in the 8th Hussars.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedt. Humble Servant,
F.G. Shewell, Br.Genl. & Lt. Col. 8th Hussars.
Ismid, Jany 2nd 1856.
Sir, — With reference to your memo of the 29th Decr I have the honour to state that Trumpet Major William Gray. who I recommended as the person most deserving of distinction in the 8th Hussars in my letter of the 29th Decr. accompanied the Regiment to the Crimea & and was present at the battles of the Alma, Balaklava and Inkerman, and has continued at his duty ever since.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedt Humble Servant,
F.G. Shewell, Br.Genl & Lt. Col. 8th Hussars.
Awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal on the 20th of July 1861, with a gratuity of £15. This was after he had left the service, and would explain why it is not recorded on his documents.
(Documents only confirm the award of the Crimean medal with four clasps, and the French Legion of Honour, (5th Class.)
Further medal information archived.
Attended the first Balaclava Banquet in 1875.
Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1877 (where he is named "Grey") and 1879 ("Gray").
His medals, spurs and trumpet are now (1978) known to be in the School of Music, Kneller Hall.
1871 Census
Upper Street, Gorton Lodge, Islington
(Next door to Missionary College)
William Gray, 52, Porter, born Woolwich.
Mary W Gray, 36, born Chesham.
[PB: CHECK the following. Source RM?]
1881 Census
17, Nelson Street, parish of St. Philip's, Mile End Old Town
The 1881 Census shows him as 54 years of age, a Pensioner, born in London, Middlesex. He was living with his wife, Sarah (see later details of his will) aged 43, also born in London, wife's sister, Jane Walker, aged 41, unmarried, and two children, Henry William, 7, and Sarah Jane, 5.)
1881 Census
180 The Lodge, Upper Street, Islington.
William Grey [sic], 64, Porter, born Woolwich
Mary W Grey, 45, born Chesham
[CP: Next door to Missionary College, Upper Street — where he is reported to have died.]
[CP]
Died on the 15th of December 1883 at 180, Upper Street, Islington, London, and was buried in Shooter's Hill Cemetery, Woolwich.
The Greenwich Cemetery records show him as having been buried in Grave No. 517 2nd Con. on the 19th of December 1883 and his address as being the Church Mission College, High Street, Islington. Only he is interred there although the grave was dug deep enough for three burials.
There is a headstone on the grave, but it is now [1984] badly weathered and only the following is legible: "In loving memory of William Gray, Late 8th Hussars. Knight of the Legion of Honour. "One of the Six Hundred", who died December 15th 1883, aged 67 years." Under this are words from either a hymn, psalm or bible quotation, but this is illegible.
The grave-plot was purchased by Mary Gray (most probably his wife). See photograph of the stone in the 8th Hussar file.
Extract from Jackson's Woolwich Gazette, 1st of January 1884:
"On the 15th inst. (Dec.) Mr. William Gray, late Trumpet Major of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, died at the Church Missionary College at 180 Upper Street, Islington, at which place he has been employed in a responsible position. He was one of those who rode in the Charge at Balaclava on October 25th 1854, had his sword belt shot away, the ball entering his pocket, smashing his pipe, and lodged there.
His trumpet was hit, his busby had two shots through it and he was slightly wounded in the shoulder; he made a present of the bullet to the doctor who attended him. He was in possession of the Turkish War medal, the Crimean medal with four clasps, and the Legion of Honour for his distinguished bravery. Several of his old comrades who also took part in the terrible charge followed him to his last resting place in Shooter's Hill Cemetery, including three of his old regiment, viz. Mr, Bird, Mr. Perry and Mr. Owen."
In his will he left his estate of £162/10/0 to his wife, Mary Wyatt Gray.
The United Services Gazette, in reporting his death at No 180 Upper Street, Islington, London, said that this "was after several months of suffering. Several of his old comrades-in-arms followed him to his last resting place in Shooter's Hill Cemetery."
Sometime before 1967 the Commandant of the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall received from an old lady who was a regular visitor to the band concerts given there a number of letters addressed to her grandfather from Lord Cardigan, to be placed in the Museum. At the time the Commandant wrote:
[PB: I'm not sure whether all or some of the next paragraph was part of the quote above, i.e something the Commandant said or wrote.]"The letters are interesting in that they show the great deal of trouble, effort and concern he took and had, over the other-rank survivors of the Charge.
They are only a small batch of letters written, I think, to a Sergeant Gray, trying to trace other survivors.
He must have had other sources and also written a lot of other letters which have not survived.
In my view, this shows him as a good commander, with the interests of his soldiers foremost in his mind, and not the arrogant brainless blighter that his enemies made him out to be."
Later, on transcribing these letters, reference was made to Canon W. M. Lummis's book, Honour the Light Brigade. This shows that Gray was a Trumpet-Major in the 8th Hussars and, in letters dated the 22nd of July and 23rd of September 1864 (not included above) supported Cardigan's claim to have reached the Russian guns. Lummis's book reveals that the letters we have received were entirely devoted by Lord Cardigan to obtain evidence that he got to the Russian guns. The supposition that they were written in the interests of his soldiers is thus completely erroneous."
Deene, Northants,
Feb. 3rd 1864.
Gray,
If you will call in at Portman Gardens my porter will show you the reply from Horse Guards to your application to be appointed to the Yeoman of the Guard, which I regret is not more favourable.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan, Lt. General.
43 Portman Gdns,
April 10th 1864.
Mr. Gray,
Will you be so kind as to call upon me about 12 o'clock tomorrow morning, Saturday, April 11th, as I wish particularly to speak to you before I leave London.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan, Lt. General.
43 Portman Gdns,
April 16th 1864.
Gray,
I am surprised at not hearing from you in answer to my letter — I request you will come up and see me either tomorrow or Sunday as I leave for the Continent on Monday.
Yours, etc,
Cardigan, Lt. General.
Ems,
August 14th 1864.
Gray,
After receiving your letter of the 30th July I wrote to Barker — late Sergeant in the 17th Lancers, but have received no answer. — I should be glad if you can obtain further information for me from Barker. I shall be back in England by the 20th of next month. I have not forgotten your request to me. If you write, direct it to Portman Gardens and it will be forwarded to me.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan, Lt. General.
Portman Gardens,
September 6th 1864.
Gray,
Unless you have some important communication to make to me there is no use in your coming to see me tomorrow. You can write to me here.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan.
Portman Gardens,
September 7th 1864.
Mr. Gray,
I wrote to you particularly to Aberdeen Road, New Cross, Deptford, but I understand you are likely to be in London today. — I go to Cowes, Isle of Wight, tomorrow for a few days. I shall be obliged if you write to me and I wish to know that Sergeant Barker can still, and whether he would come up and see me if I pay his expenses.
Direct here and it will be forwarded.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan.
Cowes,
September 16th 1864.
Gray,
I have today received an excellent letter from Barker — but I wish you could get him up to London so that I could see him in the course of Monday next or Tuesday morning very early.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan.
Portman Gardens,
September 18th 1864.
Gray,
I should like to see you tomorrow morning between 12 o'clock and 1 o'clock if you can get away and I should like to see Barker or any other man of the 8th Hussars or 17th Lancers who you could get to come to me.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan.
Eden, Northants.
October 2nd 1864.
Mr. Gray,
You gave me the direction of Cattermole (I think) who was in the 17th Lancers and now in the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry — as I have lost it will you be so good as to send it to me again.
Yours, etc.,
Cardigan.
Extract from The Sketch, 21st of June 1899 [PB: where he is referred to as "Gay" throughout?]:
"Once again the prosaic salesroom of Store and Sons, in King Street, Covent Garden, will have a touch of romance, for tomorrow they sell a very interesting memento of the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, being the trumpet used by Trumpet-Major William Gay [PB: sic throughout?], Orderly to Lord Cardigan, who headed the charge of "The Six Hundred" on that memorable occasion; also the three medals awarded to him and the Cross of the French Legion of Honour, with certificate, his spurs and busby-lines, his certificate of discharge after twenty-nine years' service, an original portrait in oils by Culvert, nine autograph letters from Lord Cardigan and other papers relative thereto. The Russian gunners tried to knock Gay out of his saddle with their reamers, and the trumpet was so badly battered that it was condemned as useless. It was left on a scrap-heap, but it was rescued by Farrier-Major John Dyer, who kept it in the forge-wagon and restored it to Gay."
There is a photograph of the oil-painting, and also of the trumpet, medals, spurs and busby-lines, in the 8th Hussar file.
1891 Census
180, Upper Street, Islington.
Mary Wyatt Grey [sic], servant, single [sic], 55, born Chisholm [sic].
[CP]
Census information for 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891, and information about the spelling of WG's surname in the records of the Balaclava Commemoration Society kindly provided by Chris Poole.