Description Military Medal, GV, British War & Victory Medal, 24839 Lance Corporal Henry Wray, 2nd Battalion Princes of Wales’s Own West Yorkshire Regiment. MM officially impressed: “24839 L. Cpl. H. Wray. 2/W. York: R.” WW1 Pair officially impressed: “24839 A. Cpl. H. Wray. W. York R.” Military Medal announced in the London Gazette dated 12th July 1918. Wounded in Action, noted in the Wound Lists on 7th May 1918. From the timing of the Gazette, most of the MM’s in this issue were for the period of the German Spring Offensive from late March to April 1918, this regiment did not take part in the start of the GSO as they were away from the frontlines seeing action first on 24th April 1918. The regiment took particularly heavy casualties from their involvement in the Battle of 2nd Battle of Villers-Bretonneux on 24th April 1918 where the first tank versus tank battle occurred during the German Spring Offensive. The announcement of his wound only 2 weeks later would strongly suggest a wound at this time, they had a quiet time from the start of the GSO on 21st March until this date as they were away from the front training and being moved around, coming into action first on the 24th April. On that day they took 2 Officers Killed, 3 Wounded and 11 Missing, alongside 18 Killed, 180 wounded, 3 DOW and 203 Missing amongst the other ranks. Finished out the war with the Labour Corps under service number 610961, likely due to his wound he was sidelined from front-line service. After the end of the war he was discharged on 29th September 1919. Harold Wray was a Yorkshireman, born to a local family in Little Ouseburn, Yorkshire during 1891. His father Fred was from Marston and his mother Annie from Tockwith. As a young man as of 1911, he found work nearby as a Footman to a wealthy family, living with them at Kirk Hammerton Hall. He was part of an extensive staff, consisting of a Cook, 7 Maids and 2 Footmen. They lived with and worked for Lieut Colonel Edwin Wilfrid Stanyforth CB TD DL JP, a Yorkshire land owner, magistrate and British Army Territorial Officer who commanded the Yorkshire Hussars during WW1.
