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231692 Pte. Alexander Gray British Army 7th Btn. Black Watch from:Edinburgh (d.7th Apr 1943) Alex Gray was my grandmother's youngest brother, they lived in Edinburgh, Scotland. The story goes, Alex Gray joined up with the Black Watch. During the war Alex, did send a letter to his family, saying he had lost all his mates and all he had left was on his back. He stated they had one more job for Monty and then they would head home. Unfortunately, Alex lost his life from infection of wounds suffered from Wadi Akarit in Tunisia they had fought the battle on the 6th of April 1943.
He did survive the initial battle but was badly wounded, even his own brother Hughie Waugh, did not even recognize him, as his brother was helping the wounded off the truck and Hughie inquired about an Alex Gray. The wounded soldier said: I am Alex Gray. Alex ended up in the triage hospital, his wounds were from barbed wire and his torso was all bandaged up. When his brother Hughie went to see him the next day, Alex told him (or the nurse told Hughie) the military was going to move him to a hospital in Cairo to convalescence. However, the family lost track of Alex and they received a message saying he had died on the battlefield on April 6th, 1943. But his brother said, "He couldn't be I spoke to him on the 6th!" It shows how records and dates get mixed up. But, in retrospect of what his brother said, we believed he died of infection of his wounds, being a hot country and who knows the type of medical care he would have received. Dying of infection or maybe of internal bleeding would have being plausible, our guess he died a few days later.
The only effects the family received of Alex's was an American belt (with the American Eagle on it) with an address of the American, a small money purse, his black watch medal. It was common at the time to swap effects, in order to keep in touch with new friends. The family also, received a picture of his burial site, in a cemetery somewhere in in desert area of North Africa. He was only 23 years old and left behind a wife and one daughter, mother, sister and 2 brothers. |
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