Muchty Remembers

Born: 4 April 1896, 14 Graham Street, Leith, Midlothian. 

Son of John Gray, Dunshelt, and Agnes McNaughton, Auchtermuchty. 

Army Number: S/9158

Rank: Private

Regiment: B Company, 9th (Pioneer) Battalion Royal Highlanders (The Black Watch)

Died: Killed in action, 17 August 1916. Aged 20.

Buried: No known grave. Commemorated at Loos Memorial, Dud Corner Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Panel 78 to 83.

War Memorial. Parish Church Plaque. Photograph. Dunshelt Hall Memorial.

 

Peter Gray was born 4 April 1896, the eldest son of William Gray, born 1870, [Dunshelt] Auchtermuchty, and Agnes McNaughton, born 1873, Auchtermuchty. They were married on 6 December 1895, though Peter was born four months later.

William Gray was the third of seven children of Peter Gray, born 19 January 1845, Dunshelt, and Jane Suttie, born 1845, Auchtermuchty. Peter Gray was a stone mason. In 1871 he was living with his wife and three children, including William, aged 1. In 1881 he was still a mason, living with his wife and four children, including William, 11. In 1891 Peter Gray was living in Croft Lane, [Dunshelt] with his wife and three youngest children, James, Janet, and John.

In 1901 Peter Gray, senior, was a journeyman mason, living in Croft St [Dunshelt] with his wife, and three youngest children, James, 20, a journeyman joiner, Janet, 17, a linen weaver, and John, 14, an iron moulder.

In 1911 Peter Gray, senior, was away from home, but his wife was living in a 2 roomed house in Dunshelt, with her son John, 24, iron moulder, at Ferlie & Son, Fife iron Works, Auchtermuchty, and daughter Janet, 27, weaver.

 

In 1891 William Gray, 21, had left Dunshelt and was a railway porter, was living with James Suttie, born 1829, Auchtermuchty, floor cloth worker, and his wife Cecilia Suttie, born 1818, Auchtermuchty, who may have been his grandparents.

In 1901 William Gray was a tanner living at 17 Graham St, Leith, with his wife Agnes McNaughton, born 30 August 1873, Auchtermuchty, and three children, Peter, 4, Isabella, 3, and Jane 1, all born at Leith

In 1911 William Gray was a tile and drain pipe maker, living in a 3 roomed house, three doors down from his mother in South Bridge, Dunshelt. Living with him were his wife Ages, and seven children, starting with Peter, 14, apprentice iron moulder, with Ferlie & Sons, Fife Iron Works, Auchtermuchty, through to William, aged 1.

Agnes McNaughton, born 30 August 1873, Auchtermuchty, was the daughter of James McNaughton, born 5 May 1842, Auchtermuchty, and Isabella Hutchison, born 1842, Auchtermuchty. Agnes had a sister Margaret, born 1868 and Wilhelmina, born 1878. James McNaughton died 24 September 1915 and Isabella Hutchison, 10 March 1916, both in Auchtermuchty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Gray, an apprentice moulder at R Ferlie & Sons, Fife Iron Works, Auchtermuchty, reached his 19th birthday, on 4 April 1915. He was one of eight men recruited in Auchtermuchty, into The Black Watch, on 29 May 1915. His Army number was one less than Thomas Wilson. He lasted a little over a year. He joined with his friend J Robertson.

The 9th (Pioneer) Battalion The Black Watch was mobilised for war on 8 July 1915 and landed at Boulogne. It was at the Battle of Loos in Sept 1915. In 1916 it fought in several action in the spring and on 23 July 1916 at the Battle of Poziere.

Peter Gray was killed on 17th Aug 1916. He has no known grave.

 

"AUCHTERMUCHTY. A BRAVE SOLDIER KILLED - His parents have received information from one of the 'Muchty lads who enlisted with him that Private Peter Gray, Black Watch. has fallen at the front. It appears that he had been carrying a dispatch, and on the way he received a bullet wound in the neck. Coming to the lines of the Seaforth highlanders he had his wound dressed, and then insisted on proceeding with hit dispatch. He had not gone far when he was killed by the bursting shell. Private Gray was 20 years of age, and prior to enlisting was an iron moulder. he resided with his parents in Dunshalt." Fife News, August 1916.

"AUCHTERMUCHTY SOLDIER KILLED. Another Auchtermuchty man has made his supreme sacrifice. Mr W.Gray, brick and tile maker, has received information that his eldest son, Private Peter Gray, Black Watch, has fallen in action.

"The sad intelligence was coonveyed by private J.Robertson with whom Private Gray enlisted in May last year. It appears that private Gray had been sent to deliver a message, but failed to reach his destination, and his body was brought in by a detachment of the Seaforths.

"Private Gray was in his twenty-first year, and at the time of his enlistment was an apprentice moulder with Messers R. Ferlie & Sons. He had been about a year at the front, and was home on furlough about two months ago." Dundee Courier, 25 August 1916.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loos Memorial, Dud Corner Cemetery, France                              Memorial plaque, Auchtermuchty Church