In Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery, Belgium is the Commonwealth War Grave of 20712 Private Joseph Grey, serving with the 9th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, who died 23/05/1917.

Colin McMillan has provided the following:

Joseph Grey was born in or about 1892 and was the fourth child and third son of William Anson Grey, a Canada-born grocer and provision merchant, and Blagdon born Anne Margaret Grey. In 1901 they were 41 and 36 respectively and their children were William Grey jnr., who was 16, an apprentice grocer and provisions merchant, Hilda Grey was 15, Thomas Grey was 13, Joseph Grey was 9, Robert Grey was 7, George Grey was 5, Florence Grey was 3 and Anson Grey was 1. All of the children were born in Morpeth and at the time the family were living at River View.

By 1911 the family had moved to 7 Buller’s Green.  The oldest child, William, had moved on but the rest still lived with the family. All were single and the two oldest remaining sons, Thomas and Joseph, were employed as grocer’s assistants, while Robert was a dentist’s assistant and George was a cycle repairer. The three youngest siblings were still at school and this included 5 year old Violet Margaret Grey who had joined the family since the last census.

Joseph Grey enlisted into the army at Newcastle and at one time served as Private 16812 Grey, J. with the West Riding Regiment, but was serving as Private 20712 Grey, J. with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers when he died of wounds in the France and Flanders theatre of war on 23rd May 1917.

One of Joseph’s younger brothers, George, had been killed on 11th  April 1917 and another younger brother, Robert, was to die on 4th  September that same year.

Morpeth Herald 08/06/1917 carries a brief obituary:
Mr and Mrs. W.A. Grey, of Grange House, Morpeth, received word from the War Office on Wednesday evening that their third son, Pte. Joseph Grey, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, died of wounds on May 23rd while serving with the Expeditionary Force in France. He was 26 years of age.

Roll of Honour
Grey- Died of wounds in hospital in France, on May 23rd, Private Joseph Grey, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, third son of Mr and Mrs W.A. Grey, Grange House, Morpeth.

CWGC states that his parents lived at Longhirst Kennels, Morpeth

Joseph Grey is remembered at Morpeth on M17.01 M17.02 M17.09 and M17.29