Frederick C Dray. Died 1 July 1916
It has been difficult to trace Frederick’s life story as the link between his family and Wokingham is tenuous in terms of available records. From his death record, we know he was born in East Grinstead and joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment before being killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916. Tracing his roots to East Grinstead, we know of his birth in 1893 and of his parents Henry, an assistant school master in 1891 and Caroline, who was born in Romford, Essex. In 1901, we find Henry appears to be estranged from Caroline and is lodging with his son in Rotherfield, about 5 miles south of their original home in Withyham.
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During the war, Frederick signs up for the Royal Berkshire Regiment and is living in Spinning Wheel Lane in Binfield, an agricultural area surrounded by a number of farms. Although we know he was remembered in the memorial, his parents appear not to be in the area and are not listed by the Commonwealth Graves Commission. At present, we do not know who placed Frederick on the Wokingham war memorial.
He married Edith Emily Douglas in 1915 in Easthampstead Berkshire. She will have placed him on the memorial