WW1 – WW2 Group to Husband & Wife. From Gloucester.

An amazing lot that very rarely come up for sale these days. Two very complete lots to a father who served during the great war and his Wife and Daughter who were both devoted to Red Cross service.
Husband; 1914/15 star, British war and Victory medal to F4871 H E Grey Petty Officer Mechanic. Royal Naval Air Service. And original dog tag.
Henry Edward Grey was born on the 9th November 1874 in Tetbury Gloucestershire. Early in his career he served a short time in the Royal Navy as a signalman, after this he was employed by the post office as a Lineman. He married Kate Patrick in the November of 1898 and went on to have just one child their daughter, who we will get to in a moment.
When war broke out, Henry was still working for the Post Office but now at the high office and an Engineering Inspector. I would imagine that either the Royal Navy recalled Henry or he put himself forward for service. At this point he is a very skilled man with years of technical experience, so regardless of his age he was enlisted back into the royal navy as Petty Officer Mechanic (Professional) attached to the Royal Navy Air Service
His first roll was at HSM President, based on the northern bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge, London, probably for some training. Then he was posted to HMS Egmont. This was again a shore base but situated at Fort St. Angelo in Malta. Here he was Petty Officer mechanic with the Kite Balloon section. He was transferred from here in May 1916 to the Royal Navy Division in Port Said, Egypt. From September 1916 he was station on HMS Euryalus in Hong Kong, probably to work on her conversion into a Mine Layer. On the 30th April 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Chief Petty Officer and in March 1918, he was transferred to the Royal Air Force as Petty Officer Mechanic 1st April 1918. Chief Petty Officer Mechanic 6th August 1918 and Chief Mechanic 17th August 1918, all the while his conduct described as superior. He was discharged on the 30th April 1920. He was obviously a very skilled man whose talents were needed.
After the war Henry went back to work with the Post Office in the Engineering department now working with Telephones and the Telegraph, so he may have picked up additional skills during the war. He retired on 10th September 1930 at the age of 55 due to ill health. Sadly, Henry died on 14th May 1932 in Tetbury Gloucestershire.
Wife. British Red Cross Society medal for; Service in the Great War. Red Cross First Aid with 1934 and 1938 bars. Medal for Red Cross Nursing with 1935 and 1939 bars. Scarce Red Cross medal for Chemical Warfare; all three named K. Gray. Voluntary Medical Service medal (solid silver type) with one bar and medal ribbon bar with Red Cross device. This is named to Kate C Gray. Red Cross cape badge (County of Gloucester) named to Kate Gray. British Red Cross Society medal for Merit, named to K Gray. BRCS enamelled badges ‘For Service’ 1st pattern, ‘For Service’ 2nd pattern, ‘For 10 Years service’. WW2 Civil Hospital Reserve badge and various other Red Cross enamel badges.
Kate Clara Gray (nee Patrick) was born in Bristol Gloucestershire 1880. He father Henry was a Cooper working in Bristol, a city with a long history with maritime and world trading connections, so the need for barrels was essential. Sadley Kate’s father died in 1890 when she was just 10 years old. So, it was up to her mother and older siblings to bring home enough money to live. Her mother, also Kate and her older sister Martha became Boot machinist, and another older sister Lilly took a position as a general servant.
Kate married Henry in 1898 and during the first world war she volunteered for the Gloucestershire Voluntary Aid Detachment 32 from June 1915 and worked at the Red Cross Hospital in Gloucester; but as she still had to work full time, this was a part time position, working 10 hours a week until November 1918. She probably remained active as a Red Cross Volunteer after the war but becoming very active in the 1930’s after Henry had died. At the start of second world war, she worked as a Casualty nurse with the BRC, but sadly Kate died in the October 1939.
All medals, badges photographs etc are in very good used condition with no major damage.
2 groups of medals etc to two ordinary people who both served their country and community in times of need even though they were both of an older generation. Amazing that this who lot has stayed together all these years.

Code: 30830