LIVES OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
The E.J. Boys Archive

IN PROGRESS — NOT FOR PUBLICATION

1412 or 1413?

1412, Charles Edward GRAY — 4th Light Dragoons

Birth & early life

Born at Oxford, c.1830.

Enlistment

Enlisted at Westminster on the 3rd of February 1849.

Age: 19.

Height: 5' 7".

Trade: Printer.

Service

At Scutari General Hospital from the 22nd of September 1854 and sent to rejoin the regiment on the 3rd of October.

He died, aged 29 years, at the Barracks, Nottingham, on the 1st of June 1859 from "Hypertrophy of the Heart".

Next of kin: Mother, Rebecca Gray, living at Oxford.

Left no will and had £2/11/2d. in his credits.

Medals

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol.

Lummis and Wynn state that he was also entitled to the Long Service & Good Conduct medal, but this could not have been so.

A Crimean medal named to him and with clasps for Balaclava and Inkerman only, was sold at a Glendining's auction on the 25th of May 1911.

Commemorations

Life after service

Death & burial

Charles Gray's death certificate shows that he died at the Barracks, Nottingham, a Private in the 4th Light Dragoons, on the 1st of June 1859 from "Hypertrophy of the Heart", aged 29 years. A Charles Smith, of the same address, was in attendance at his death.

(There is a copy of the death certificate in the 4th Light Dragoons "Certificates" file.)

(Click on image to enlarge)

Next of kin: Mother, Rebecca Gray, living at Oxford.

[PB, 20.4.2019: I tried briefly to find her on the e.g. 1851 and 1861 Censuses, but without success. May be worth another attempt.]

He left no will and had £2/11/2d. in his credits.

Further information

[PB, 20.4.2019: Wendy Leahy mentions CG's death in chapter 17 of the ms. of her book about the Clout family. I have sent a scan of his death certificate.]