Name
Alexander Black Machray
1894
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
67146
London Regiment *1
4th (City of London) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Bishop's Stortford Town Memorial
Pre War
Alexander Black Machray was born in 1894 in Tottenham, Middlesex to Francis and Eliza Machray. On the 1901 Census, the family were living at Victoria Row, Feltham, Middlesex, where his father , who was born in Aberdeen, was working as a nurseryman's clerk.
By the 1911 Census the family had moved to 2 Portland Road, Bishop's Stortford and Alexander was working as a Builder's Clerk. According to a later obituary in the local newspaper "Before enlisting he was employed as a clerk in the office of the Town Surveyor, Mr R S Scott, and was a valued member of the Town Band. A member of a musical family, he was always ready to give his services to musical efforts in the town, while in his hobby – sketching – he proved himself to possess marked ability. In outdoor sports also he was a footballer of merit. He was also employed by the Bishop's Stortford Gas Company as a clerk and as a lad was a member of the St Michael's Church Choir."
Wartime Service
According to his obituary in the local newspaper "early in the war he offered his services, but was twice rejected before ultimately enlisting under the Derby Scheme*2 in January 1916".
He joined the Suffolk Regiment, then transferred to Bedfordshire Regiment under Reg. No. 25217. When he was sent to France in July 1916 he was transferred again into the 4th Bn. London Regiment, Royal Fusiliers under Reg. No. GS 67146. He was killed in action on 21 September 1917 in Belgium, only eight weeks after arriving at the front.
Additional Information
Not found on CWGC.
His father Francis received a war gratuity of £7 and pay owing of £3 3s 10d.
N.B. Surnames spellings vary. His parents had two other sons serving, private Frank Machray, in England with a labour battalion of the Suffolk Regiment; and Private Charles Machray, Royal Army Medical Corps, serving in Palestine. All three brothers, with their father, were members of the Town Band.
*1
More correctly London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
*2 The Derby Scheme was launched in Autumn 1915 by the Early of Derby trying to increase recruitment and avoid the need for conscription, by allowing men to voluntarily attest for service at a later date and be released to civilian life until needed by the military. So many men tried to enlist that many recruitment officers were overwhelmed and medical examinations were dispensed with, assuming that they would be examined when they were eventually called up. To identify those men who had attested to serve at a later date, a khaki armband was authorised.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Roll of Honour.com
