Patrick Riddle Grey and William Lilburn Grey were the sons of Major James Lilburn Grey by his second wife Beatrix Mary (nee Riddle). They lived at Moorside House, Tweedmouth in Northumberland, Beatrix’s family home. Major Grey was a wine merchant of Hide Hill, Berwick-upon-Tweed and a member of the 1st Berwick-upon-Tweed Volunteer Corps (Artillery). His promotion from lieutenant to captain is recorded in the London Gazette of 12th May 1896 as is the granting of his honorary rank of Major on 16th June 1896. He resigned his commission on 30th November 1901 with permission to retain his rank and wear the uniform. He was also awarded the Volunteer Officer’s Decoration.

William’s service papers are held at the National Archives (WO339/35864). He enlisted on 17th June 1915. Form MT392 gives his date of birth as 3rd November 1896. He was unmarried and British born. He was serving in the Edinburgh University OTC Engineer Unit and rode. According to his medical report he was 68 ½” tall, chest 34½ -37½”, weighed 137lb with good hearing and teeth and normal colour vision. He was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the 11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.

The Battalion’s war diary (WO95/2246) for August 1916 has the following information:
11 Aug – Drill, inspection & training. 2nd Lieutenant WL Grey having reported is taken on the strength and posted to 'A' Coy
12 Aug – Training & boxing
13 Aug – Divine service & baths
14 Aug – Training & exercise
15 Aug – Bn paraded at 10am and marched to fresh billets in Acheux arriving 1pm and going into hutments in the woods
ACHEUX
16 Aug – Training & drill
17 Aug – Physical & specialist training, including rapid wiring
18 Aug – as 17th
19 Aug – Training, clearing & cleaning camp. 2:35pm Bn paraded and proceeded to new billets at Headauville via Forceville arriving about 4pm. Bn bivouacked in field about 500 yards due south of townHEADAUVILLE
20 Aug – Bn proceeded to trenches opposite Thiepval to relieve 5th West Riding Regt. Bn marched there by companies at 15 minute intervals 7:30am – 6pm.
TRENCHES
21 Aug – Day quiet. All available men digging and repairing trenches. Killed: 2 privates. Wounded: 12.
22 Aug – Quiet day and night. Work on trenches and new parallels progressed with causalities. Killed: 2 privates. Wounded: 2 privates.
23 Aug – Day Quiet and work carried on as usual. Wounded: 2 privates.
24 Aug – Day fairly quiet. Enemy shelled line with 77mm HE from 4pm to 5pm. Also shelled covering and working party 11-11:50pm.
25 Aug – Day quiet except for occasional bursts of 77mm HE and shrapnel.
Grey is a casualty of this enemy fire although it is not mentioned in the diary.
26 Aug – Relief by 1/5 West Yorks. Travel to billets in Bouzincourt.

The following article appeared in the Berwick Advertiser 01/09/1916
BERWICK LIEUTENANT WOUNDED
Information was received from France and also from the War Office on Wednesday that second lieutenant William Lilburn Grey Lancashire Regiment, son of Major J L & Mrs. Grey of Moorside House, Tweedmouth has been admitted to a clearing hospital in France suffering from shell wounds from the shoulder to the waist. The first information was received in letters from the doctor and nurse at the clearing station under date of 28 August, official confirmation arriving later. The wounded lad went to France with a reserve battalion of the same regiment and was only transferred a short time ago.

William was put on a hospital ship at Calais on 8th September arriving at Dover the same day. For the next year he was transferred between various reserve battalions and went before medical boards, receiving extended leave.

Horton War Hospital, Epsom. Gunshot wound under left shoulder blade. Shoulder and rib fractured. Shrapnel in back. Grant leave 8.9.16 – 13.12.17.
Medical board 14.12.16 unfit 3 months, unfit home & light duties 2 months.
3rd Reserve Lancashire Fusiliers Withernsea, Hull - joined unit 19.2.17.
Medical Board 20.3.17 unfit any service 3 weeks (treatment). In officer’s hospital Ripon. Letter 28.3.17 Training Reserve Battalion, S Camp Ripon. Granted leave 20.4.17 for 8 months. Medical board 19.7.17 2nd General Hospital Leeds 4 weeks. In hospital since Aug 1916. 22.8.17 unfit any service permanently. Ill health caused by wounds.

On 26th August 1917 Grey wrote to the War Office:

I have the honour to report that it is a year since I was wounded and that I was discharged from the army 22nd August on account of wounds. I am applying for a pension as I am unable to carry on with my work as a mining engineer. I have the honour to be sir your obedient servant WL Grey 2nd Lieut.

His application for Silver War Badge (awarded to those unable to serve as a result of wounds) on 17.10.17 was approved (No 240.260).

He attended another medical board on 12.11.17 at 1st Northern General Hospital, Newcastle.

On 18 March 1918 his records show he was age 21.4. His army service had been 2 years 1 month of which 1 year 11 months had been at home and 6 weeks abroad. On 11 June 1918 £70 per annum was granted for disability of 40% 19.11.17 – 11.11.18. Not eligible for wound pension.

William is listed on the Roll of Honour at St David’s Masonic Lodge (No:393) on Wallace Green, Berwick-upon-Tweed (NEWMP ref B25.20).

He was awarded the Victory and British War medals

The following comes from an article that appeared in the Berwick Advertiser in July 1939 following an inquest into Grey’s death.

In 1922 he went to Australia to try and recover his health, which he did to a large degree. At the same time however he contracted a tropical disease and came home under doctor’s orders after about 5 years. He returned to his family home but was unable to work and was only able to take an extremely restricted diet.

In the early hours of the morning of 12th July his sister was disturbed and on going into his bedroom found him lying on the bed with a self-inflicted throat wound. Although he was still breathing she was unable to stop the bleeding so she called for the doctor and went to a neighbour for assistance. They returned to find him dead. An open razor was lying on the floor. Dr Wattison who attended had seen Grey a few days before when he found him to be seriously ill and depressed. He had noticed his shrapnel war wounds and believed him to be suffering from shell shock.

The coroner described the case as a tragedy of ill-health. The jury recorded the verdict that Grey had died as the result of a self-inflicted wound there being no evidence to show the state of his mind at the time.

For Patrick Liddle Grey’s War Service, see Tweedmouth Every Name a Story entry.

Ian Jones of Liverpool has sent us this:

I knew this man's sister, Catherine Fair Grey. My late Auntie Ellen was Miss Catherine Grey's housekeeper, both at Moorside House, Tweedmouth and later on at Shielfield Terrace, Tweedmouth. All of these people are now buried at Tweedmouth Cemetery. I still visit my Auntie Ellen's grave - it is a huge plot with nine people buried there. It has a very large head stone with all of the names inscribed on it.