A Stamp of Authority
Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Frank Gray ERD TD Royal Engineers
The Man Leslie Frank Gray was born on 12th January 1919 at 27 Pier Avenue in Herne Bay, son of Frank, who had been a Sergeant in the Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment during World War 1 and Emily Ethel (Emma). In 1924 aged five he was sent to dancing lessons and one year later attended his local Elementary School. In 1929 aged 10½ he gained a pass to Simon Langton School for boys in Canterbury where he became a member of the choir and studied for four years and two terms gaining a School Certificate and passing the general examinations in English Language and Literature, Modern History, Elementary Geography, Latin, French, Elementary Mathematics, Electricity and Magnetism, Drawing, Economics and Religious Instruction, by the time he left in April 1935. On 15th April 1935 aged 16 he joined the Post Office at Herne Bay as a Probationary Sorting Clerk and Telegraphist earning 12/-4d (54p) a week, his Certificate of Qualification was awarded on 1st November 1935 on an increased salary of 22/- (£1.10p) a week and on 14th April 1937 aged 18 his appointment was confirmed. In the same year he learnt to drive a car and joined the Territorial Army, Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) as Private 7662296. At this time he was still living with his parents at Greycote, Fernlea Avenue, Herne Bay. Following the outbreak of World War Two on 3rd September 1939 he was mobilised on 1st November and embodied in the RAPC as a Binder Clerk, transferring to the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) on 23rd January 1941. He was described as having 6/6 vision, 151 lbs in weight, 5’ 7¾” tall, with a 36½” chest, brown eyes, black hair and a fresh complexion. His religion was given as-
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-Church of England. For the next three years he worked and trained in the United Kingdom as part of the Home Forces attached to the 1st Army. He served at Canterbury, HQ Royal Marine Division Crookham, Manchester, Southport, Hampshire, Scotland at CRS Paisley, Gilscochill Hospital in Glasgow and Leeds. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 13th September 1940, Corporal on 29th January 1942 and Sergeant 7th April 1942. On 14th December 1942 he was posted to Egypt making the arduous journey via South Africa aboard MS Alcantara, an ocean liner of the Royal Mail Lines that had been converted to an armed cruiser. He remained in the RAMC in the Middle East during the war as Chief Clerk of the Medical Statistical Section, British Troops Egypt (BTE) serving at the HQ BTE, GHQ 02E Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and 131 General Hospital. During this time he married one of his secretaries Denise Gertrude Berthe Quartier from Switzerland, the daughter of engineer Ulisse Quartier who worked for
the Ministry of Public Works and was responsible for planning many of the buildings in Cairo. His father was the local Chief of Police in Cairo, Louis Quartier. Leslie and Denise married on 20th July 1946 in the Lady Chapel, All Saints Cathedral, Cairo and they lived at 8 Sharia Mohammed Marashli, Pasha, Zamalek, Cairo. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant 2nd October 1944, Warrant Officer II 3rd July 1945 and Warrant Officer I on 30th November 1945. For his wartime service he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Defence Medal and 1939-45 British War Medal and returned to the UK on 19th October 1946 volunteering to remain in the Army for a further period of service after the war. On 2nd February 1947 he was ‘de-mobbed’, transferred to the Z Class reserve (T) and resumed his post office career as a Training Officer in Canterbury becoming Chairman of the Kent & East Surrey District Council Union of Post Office Workers. He became a Postal & Travelling Officer on 17th March 1947 which was back dated to 1st June 1946 and on 28th October 1948 made a sales representative for the Home Counties Region. On 25th September 1950 he was promoted to Assistant Postal Controller based at the London Post Office Headquarters living in an apartment opposite Kew Gardens, 26 Kew Green. His duties included responsibility for a small sector of post offices in East Anglia, Hampshire, Sussex and SurreyHe was discharged from the Z Class Reserve on 6th July 1952 having served a total of 7 years 93 days with The Colours and a further 5 years 155 days in reserve, his character was described as exemplary and the following day the 7thJuly 1952 aged 37 he
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enlisted in the Supplementary Reserve of Officers Corps of Royal Engineers(Postal Section) as a Second Lieutenant service number 424701. On 1st July 1953, Leslie and Denise had a daughter, Erika Quartier Gray and about same time he was transferred from 212 Army Postal Unit (APU) to 251 APU the same year. He was appointed Acting Captain on 16th November 1954 transferring again from 251 APU to 207 APU. On 8th August 1956 he was recalled to The Colours and worked on Operation Poker which was the move by 2 (Br) Corps to Malta and Libya during August and on 31st October aged 37 he was mobilised and sent to Suez during the crisis as a Staff Captain Royal Engineers on the staff of the General Officer Commanding the Task Force at Port Said, General Stockwell. He was in charge of all postal services for the Army and RAF during Operation Musketeer earning the General Service Medal with ‘Near East’ Clasp. He was referred to by his colleagues in the Post Office as ‘Our Man in Port Said’. He returned to the UK on 16th December 1956 and transferred back into the Army Emergency Reserve on 17th December 1957. On 1st May 1958 he was appointed as Officer Commanding 44 Infantry Division Postal Unit RE and on 30th March 1959 promoted to
Captain with seniority back dated to 16th November 1954. On 10th April 1960 aged 41 he was promoted at work to Head Postmaster Bexhill on Sea. Having lived for a short time in Purley he moved to Derry’s Cottage, 92 Barnhorn Road, Bexhill on Sea and later 15 Elsted Road, Cooden Beach and settled in the area. In 1964 he was awarded the Army Emergency Reserve Decoration for 12 years service in the Supplementary Reserve, one of only 96 awarded during this year, he also received security clearance for constant and regular access to Top Secret Atomic and Military information and on 1st April 1967 was promoted to Major with seniority backdated to 21st August 1965. Leslie himself stated that this was his favourite promotion, to that of a Senior Officer. On 1st April 1967 he was transferred from the Army Emergency Reserve following its disbandment and into the Territorial & Army Volunteer Reserves (T&AVR) Postal & Courier Communication Pool (PCC). On 1st July 1968 he became Temporary Head Postmaster of Hastings and South East Sussex, responsible for the Robertsbridge, Rye, Etchingham, Battle and Bexhill areas. In addition to his job and the Army his hobbies included dinghies and sailing and he kept a boat at Herne Bay, he also enjoyed golf which became a major part of his life and he joined Highwoods and Cooden Beach Golf Clubs, becoming Captain of both during the next few years and something of a local celebrity with his skills on the course. He also involved himself in many organisations, being a keen member of the Bexhill-On-Sea Rotary Club from 1962 and President in 1970 at the same time as his wife was President of the Inner Wheel.
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He was an active member of the Bexhill Chamber of Commerce and its President in 1966 being responsible for the town decorations when Her Majesty visited for the 1066 celebrations on the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. He was also President of Hastings & St. Leonards branch in 1975 and 1977. He was a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers and on 5th April 1971 made a Freeman of the City of London for his interest in city affairs. Leslie was confirmed as Head Postmaster of Hastings on 1st April 1972 and one year later on 1st April 1973 was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and on 1st July transferred from the post of RE (PCC) T&AVR Pool Category A to Commanding No 2 PCCU RE (PCC) (V) T&AVR Category B, his specific role in the event of mobilization at this time was ‘To fill a Grade 1 Staff post in HQ Forces Postal & Courier Service (MOD) currently filled by
a regular officer who is transferred to a mobilisation appointment’. On 16th April 1974 he was belatedly awarded the first clasp to his Army Emergency Reserve Decoration returning it in 1976 to be awarded the Efficiency Decoration with T&AVR brooch on 12th October 1976 representing 24 years volunteer service. On 12th January 1977 aged 58 he retired from the Territorial Army having exceeded the age limit serving a total of 42 years in the armed forces. He continued work as Head Postmaster for the next two years and was appointed President of Hastings and St. Leonards Chamber of Commerce. On 12th January 1979 aged 60 he retired from the Post Office after nearly 44 years service. At a ceremony he was presented with a cheque, an electric shaver and a specially written poem titled Red Is My Colour!Leslie’s retirement was planned out well in advance and his pace of life did not slow down. He continued with his golf winning the Regional Final of the Rover Golf Challenge played at Royal Eastbourne on 10th September 1979 and then played in the Grand Finals at Turnberry where he met Tony Jacklin. He became a director of the National Chamber of Trade, Chairman of the Hastings and District Post Office and Telecommunications Advisory Committee and was involved with the Southern Water Authority.
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In 1985 he was invited with Denise to a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and became Captain of Cooden Beach Golf Club in 1989. Leslie continued enjoying life to the full until sadly he fell and broke his right femur in 1997 when walking a neighbour, Group Captain Kennedy home following some drinks. The Group Captain fell backwards onto Leslie who himself fell awkwardly. This subsequently slowed him down and during the early 2000s he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. In later life he lived with his wife at High Beech Retirement Home in Bexhill on Sea until he passed away on 28th September 2007 aged 88 in hospital following a fall, his Granddaughter at his side. His funeral was held on Thursday 11th October 2007 at 11.00am in St. Mark’s Church, Little Common the Reverend Jonathan Frais officiating, this was followed by a private cremation service. His ashes were buried at St. Marks and a rose bush planted in his memory. Thus ended a long and full life of a proud and dedicated man who served his country in many different ways for most of those years. Click here for more photographs and newspaper cuttings of Leslie Gray.
The Story The unusual combination of medals awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Frank Gray were purchased on E-Bay on Thursday 22nd March 2007 and were sold as a group to a Captain in the Royal Engineers. They attracted attention because of an interest in Territorial long service awards and of the unusual combination of an Army Emergency Reserve Decoration and Efficiency Decoration with the T&AVR brooch. In addition the General Service Medal with Near East Clasp named to Gray as a Captain gave provenance to the group that is often missing with his type of combination. The group was purchased without any research or indication of where the medals had come from. However following a check through the Army Lists by John Scott of the Birmingham Medal Society and looking through London Gazette entries it was established that Captain Gray had subsequently been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Engineers Postal & Courier Section (RE P&CS). A cursory search on the internet revealed that the RE P&CS Association had its own web site and an entry was placed on the message board asking for details of L F Gray. A few days later on 22nd April 2007 an e-mail was received from Daniel Perriton, who lives on the Isle of Wight and himself a retired Captain in the RE P&CS. He gave basic information on Gray stating he had been Head Postmaster in Bexhill.
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The e-mail was replied to and a few days later he telephoned stating he had been to a funeral recently and been told by other colleagues that Leslie Frank Gray was still alive and living in Cooden near Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex. The address was checked and found to be the correct and current residency of Lt Col Gray. There then followed the usual dilemma of what to do next in case the medals had been stolen or disposed of under dubious circumstances. However previous experiences with other research prompted swift action and on 1st May 2007 a letter was written to Leslie Gray explaining that research was being undertaken on the RE P&CS and asking if he would be willing to provide any information. On Sunday 4th May a telephone message was received from Col Gray’s daughter Erika Rogers. She explained that sadly her father was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and was losing his shorter term memory, he was also in a home in Bexhill. She did explain that she had offered the medals for sale recently, was glad they had gone 'to a good home' and that she was quite happy for research to be undertaken, to provide some photographs and
even allow a visit her father. A few days later following exchange of e-mails and receipt of the sought after photograph of the ‘medal recipient’ arrangements were made to visit Bexhill on Thursday, Friday 7th-8th June 2007. The visit was very successful. Erika Rogers loaned a large amount of archive material on her father including his original Commission Scroll, newspaper cuttings, photographs and much more to have it all copied. The highlight of the visit however was on 8th June when Lieutenant Colonel Gray himself was visited at his Retirement Home in Bexhll. Although his memory was not as clear as it would have been he remembered key events and filled in gaps in his interesting life story. He posed for photographs wearing his medals and was interested in the research. A very pleasant hour or so was spent with Leslie Gray and his wife Denise. Sadly Leslie died not long after the visit in September 2007 and his funeral took place in October the same year; Denise died some months later. A further visit was made to Bexhill in March 2012 (five years later!) to return the original paperwork to Leslie's daughter and to discuss the content of this web site. This is another story of how basic research can allow us to pad out the story and put a face to The Man Behind the Medals, in this case one who was still alive and who gave many years of his life to the service of his country and community, therefore ensuring his deeds are not forgotten.
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Royal Mail Ships
Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract by Royal Mail. They have the right to fly the pennant of the Royal Mail when sailing. The designation has been used since 1840. It was used by a large number of companies, but is often associated in particular with the Cunard line and Royal Mail Lines, which held a number of high-profile mail contract business, and which traditionally prefixed the titles of all its ships with the initials "RMS". The best-known ship carrying the prefix is almost certainly the RMS Titanic of the White Star Line. Technically, a ship would use the prefix only while contracted to carry mail, and would revert at other times to a standard type designation such as "SS". Previously, the Admiralty operated these ships. In 1850 contracts were awarded to private companies. The most valuable route, with the highest volume, was between Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) in Ireland, and Holyhead in Wales. The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company (CDSPCo) won the contract and purchased RMS Saint Columa and RMS Llwywllyn from the Admiralty. Having the title "RMS" was seen as a mark of quality and a competitive advantage, because the mail had to be on time. In the 1860 CDSPCo contract there was a penalty clause of £11s4d for every minute's delay. In recent years the shift to air transport for mail has left only two ships with the right to the prefix; RMS St. Helena, which serves the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, and RMS Queen Mary 2. QM2 was conferred "RMS" by Royal Mail when she entered service in 2004 on the Southampton to New York route as a gesture to Cunard's history. The Royal Mail continues a form of this tradition on modern day airliners. The UK's flag carrier airline, British Airways is contracted to carry mail on some of its scheduled long-distance routes. Aircraft operating these routes with the facilities to carry mail are allowed to display the |
Royal Mail's logo and crest on their fuselage, usually alongside their registration markings. The less common designations RMMV, for Royal Mail Motor Vessel, and RMMS, for Royal Mail Motor Ship, were used for a period when RMS was restricted to steam-ships. Motor Ship indicates that propulsion is provided by diesel rather than steam. The designation TS as in TSMV before the name of the vessel would indicate that it was driven by twin screws.
MS Alcantara
MS Alcantara the ship that Leslie Gray sailed from the UK to Egypt in during 1942 was an ocean liner of the Royal Mail Lines, a successor to the Alcantara that had been sunk in World War I. Alcantara was built by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, and launched in 1927. She ran the route from Southampton to the east coast of South America. In 1934 the ship was rebuilt with more powerful engines, Burmeister & Wain deisels, twin screw increasing her top speed to 18 knots. Her tonnage was 22,181 and her length 656ft, beam 78ft. She could take 1,430 |
passengers, 432 in 1st class, 223 in 2nd and 775 in 3rd. She was converted to an armed merchant cruiser in 1939, and refitted with a single funnel. She was dispatched to Malta for further modifications, but was involved in a major collision with the Cunard ship Franconia en route. Alcantara managed to reach Alexandria for hull repairs. On 28 July 1940, Alcantara encountered the German auxiliary cruiserThor in the South Atlantic. Thor scored three hits on Alcantara, but was hit twice by Alcantara's 6-inch guns. One of the hits on Alcantara flooded the engine room, which forced her to reduce speed, allowing Thor to escape. In 1942, she was converted into a troop ship. South American service resumed in October 1948, and lasted until April 1958, when she was sold to Japanese owners, renamed Kaisho Maru, but broken up the same year.
Requiescat in Pace
Medal Details:
- 1939-45 Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Africa Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- General Service Medal: CAPT L.F.GRAY RE.
- Emergency Reserve Decoration: 1964
- Efficiency Decoration: 1976
This page last updated 31 Mar 14