In January 2010, Mum briefly recounted the story of John Thomas Gray to a distant cousin, Sue Kelly (Reed), found through Genes Reunited.
Dear Susan
My head was spinning last night with so many memories - the ancestors must have been rattling the old brain cells. I hardly know where to begin. This morning I eventually found a scrap of paper with some notes I made way back in early 1980, when I first started researching the family in earnest. My Mum, Ellen Brenda Groom (known has Brenda) was alive then and had tangible memories of this family - she would tell me little scraps of information and I jotted them down.....she was a great raconteur and you never quite knew whether she was romancing or not!
Bridjet Gray (known as Aunt Jetta) was married to Edward Reed (Ted) who was a consulting engineer to do with ships trials. They lived at Wind Garth, Cleadon, near East Boldon, Sunderland.
Now the story goes that Ted Reed (who was uncle to my Grandfather, Jack Gray) advised Jack as a young man, that he should train properly as an engineer. The sailing ships were being converted to steam turbine engines and this is what Jack did, he became a Chief Engineer of some note.
Jack's mother, Sarah Ellen, did everything she could to help him further his career. At the young age of 12 he started as an Apprentice at Clarke Chapman Engineering Company, when sail was giving way to turbine.
Jack moved on to Rosyth to work installing the new turbine engines into the ships previously at sail. With the key skills and knowledge of the modernised engines he had been involved with fitting, he went to sea as 2nd Engineer/Stoker on the purpose built North Atlantic cargo liners.
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| Beatrice Maud Gray |
On 10 November 1919, Jack, aged 31, joined the South Metropolitan Gas Company as a Second Engineer. By June 1920 he was Chief Engineer on the colliers taking cargos of coal from The Tyne to London.
The following article comes from the South Metropolitan Gas Company's Co-partnership Journal and was written in June 1929. (Source: Greenwichindustrialhistory.blogspot.co.uk)
And truly the conditions under which the men work need to be ideal, for" butting" down the coast" in the mad March days" is no pleasure trip. On one occasion during the past winter one of the Company's steamers arrived in the Tyne white from stem to stern with ice, and the pilot cutter twice signalled for her name, being unable to believe the first time that it was one of our vessels from 'the south; her anchors were frozen in their hawse-pipes, and she had to manoeuvre in the river until they could be freed. This is not an isolated case, and is cited merely because it is typical of the sort of thing which may be expected in the North Sea during the bad weather in the winter months. The kind of gale described so graphically by St. Paul is the average weekly experience of the North Sea sailor.
After World War II on 13 October 1947, Jack was nominated and awarded an MBE for services during the war. Jack was known as a charismatic character, who could always muster a crew to go to sea at a moments notice. He kept a tidy ship and navigated steadily to avoid mines.
In happier times, Jack was able to indulge his family on trips to London in
their own private cabin.
In happier times, Jack was able to indulge his family on trips to London in
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| Beatrice, Brenda & Joyce 'on board' |
Sadly, Beatrice died in 1944, so she didn't get to share in the joy of the MBE award. Jack married Mary J Storey of Sunderland in 1945. Jack retired from the South Metropolitan Gas Company at the age of 65. In retirement Jack's hobby was breeding and showing budgerigars and tropical fish, a far cry from the dirt and noise of the colliers.
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| Jack & Beatrice 15 St Mary's Terrace, East Boldon |
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