KILLED IN ACTION
BRIGADIER J. R. GRAY
(P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 15. A well-known Auckland barrister and solicitor, Lieutenant-Colonel (temporary Brigadier) John Russell Gray is reported to have been killed in action on July 5, according to advice received by his wife. He took a keen interest in the Territorial forces and was for a number of years before the outbreak of the war a senior officer of the Ist Battalion, Auckland Regiment, succeeding to its command in 1939. He was appointed to command the
first Auckland infantry battalion formed for overseas service after the outbreak of the war, the 18th (Auckland) Battalion. Brigadier Gray left New Zealand early in 1940 with the First Echelon and commanded his battalion with distinction in Greece and Crete. Men who have since returned to New Zealand have spoken in the highest terms of his leadership and some described how, during a bitterly-fought action at I Galatos in Crete, he took a rifle himself and led five bayonet charges against the' Germans. j
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19420716.2.24
Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 14, 16 July 1942, Page 4
Word Count
168KILLED IN ACTION Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 14, 16 July 1942, Page 4
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