| Hamilton Wray was the oldest son of Hamilton and Mary Wray.
|
| All early documentation (GRONI and Census) record the spelling of the surname as Rea.
|
| Hamilton Rea and Mary Lemon were married on 2nd July 1909 in the district of Dungannon. The GRONI Registration Number is M/1909/T1/2557/2/79, included because GRONI have the name as Lee rather than Rea.
|
| The 1911 census lists Hamilton’s parents living at at house 8 in Brook Street, Dungannon. His father was a linen labourer.
|
| Hamilton Rea was born on 8th September 1915. He was the one of at least two children, both born in the Dungannon area.
|
| Known family: Hamilton Rea, Mary Rea, Sarah Rea (born 4th April 1911), Hamilton Rea (born 8th September 1915).
|
| There are newspaper reports of a Hamilton Wray from Milltown, who served in World War One. Because Brooke Street is in the Milltown area, this is thought to be Hamilton’s father.
|
| From the Belfast Newsletter dated 10th December 1914: How a Dungannon Soldier was wounded (Father of Hamilton Wray)
|
|
| Private Hamilton Wray, 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles, has returned home to Dungannon, having been wounded by an English bullet, which penetrated his lung and has not yet been extracted. He went to France with the first Expeditionary Force, and took part in all the fighting from Mons to Ypres. He described the fighting as desperate, and said that all the 21 officers of the battalion had been either killed or wounded and that the 1900 men of the regiment had been reduced to 200. When has was on outpost duty in Ypres, a British shrapnel shell struck a tree, and one of the bullets struck him on the back and penetrated his lung.
|
| From the Belfast Newsletter dated 17th August 1917: (Father of Hamilton Wray)
|
|
| Corporal Hamilton Wray, Royal Irish Rifles, Milltown, Dungannon, shrapnel wounded, wounded twice previous.
|
| Hammie, as he became known, enlisted in the Royal Air Force on 10th June 1936.
|
| On 16th November 1940 he was posted to Aden and on 16th January 1941 he joined 8 Squadron in Aden.
|
| Blenheim Z7920 was ordered to proceed to Hargeisha on detachment leaving Kharmaksar at 1230Z hours on 15th July 1942, and carrying the crew and passengers. En route the aircraft was required to carry out a reconnaissance of Djibouti aerodrome. The aircraft took off and received the radio go. Nothing was heard from the aircraft and it failed to arrive at its destination. Hargeisha reported that the aircraft had not arrived.
|
| The squadron had asked for volunteers to fly with the aircraft to Djibouti and Corporal Wray had volunteered.
|
|
| The aircraft had been shot down near Djibouti by anti-aircraft fire at 1600 hours on 17th July 1942, and had crashed in flames. All those on board were killed. The crew members of Z7920 were:
|
Flight Sergeant Francis Edward CHANNON (402030)]
|
|
Pilot Officer Lawrence Robert MAGUIRE (J/151001) Pilot
|
|
Sergeant Victor Percy Crawford SENNETT (929434) Observer
|
|
Aircraftman 1st Class Harold Lewis SNEATH (614297)
|
|
Corporal Hamilton WRAY (532586)
|
| Corporal Hamilton Wray, along with the other crew, are buried in Djibouti New European Cemetery.
|
| Corporal Hamilton Wray is commemorated locally on Moy War Memorial.
|
| The CWGC record Corporal Hamilton Wray as the son of Hamilton and Mary Wray, nee Lemon. He is also listed as the nephew of Sarah Ann Gray of Benburb, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
|
| Many thanks to Kenny Farquhar, whose research was instrumental to this information. He also records that Hamilton Wray was the nephew of Sarah Ann Gray and uncle of Peggy McNicholl (nee Robinson), Jim Wray, Cyril Wray and Harold Robinson, Benburb.
|
|
