Bray-James

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

4856463

Private

James Bray

1912/07/08 - Born Darlaston, Staffordshire

Son of James and Annie (nee Biston) Bray

Brother to Leonard, Benjamin, Violet, Minnie and May

In 1921 the family lived at Court, Bell Street, Darlaston, Staffordshire,

1941 married Margaret Grey at Wednesbury, Staffordshire

Next of Kin Wife, Margaret Bray, of Springwell, Co. Durham

Leicestershire Regiment

1st Battalion

Service

In September 1939, the 1st Battalion was in India and remained there until February 1941 when it was moved to Penang. In May it moved to stationed at Sungei Patani, Malaya. When Japan entered the war attacking Malaya, the 1st Battalion was position at Jitra.

By the 11th of December the battalion was confronted by the Japanese commanded by Saeki who decided to attack the troops at Jitra during the night of the 11th and in doing so suffered heavy losses by the allied positioning of their machine guns. Saeki then decided to throw everything he had at the centre of the British defences and succeeded in driving a deep wedge into their positions before he came up against the Leicesters and the 2/2nd Gurkhas who stopped the Japanese attack, the 2nd East Surreys then counterattacked to help the Leicesters. By the 12th December Major-general Kawamura commanding the 9th Infantry arrived at Jitra and sent his 41st Regiment down the eastern side of the main road and the 40th Regiment down the western side to assist Saeki who was still being held by the Leicesters. Murray-Lyons ordered the Leicesters to withdraw behind a stream called the Sungei Jitra, the Leicesters had fought bravely and their good positions were argued but they had to obey the order.

At a meeting just south of Gurun on the 14th December, Murray-Lyon told General Heath that his troops were not in condition to withstand another retreat but if they had to a strong defensive position should be chosen and a concentrated defines should be planned, with transportation for his troops. General Heath agreed that the 11th Division should hold Gurun and the 12th Brigade would hold the Japanese to the east at Kroh and Grik. After a conversation on the phone that night with Percival, Heath got his way and it was agreed that the 11th would retreat a further sixty mile to a defensive position beyond the Perak River delaying the Japanese as long as possible so Penang could be evacuated.

That night the Japanese attacked in numbers and drove a gap in the Punjabi defences and reached the 2nd East Surrey headquarters and then the 6th Brigade headquarters, killing everyone there, when Murray-Lyon saw the damage he immediately ordered a seven mile withdrawal, but finding the numbers of troops left, sent more orders to withdraw behind the Muda River. The remaining troops had some luck as the Japanese had been hit hard as well and they did not follow up on the action giving the remains of the 11th Division time to fall back, giving the British time to evacuate Penang.

The British started evacuating on the 13th but the orders included only British born personnel and civilians, this caused a feeling of despair among the Asiatic population, and anger towards the British for leaving them to fend for themselves at a time when they wanted leadership.

On the 17th December the Kobayashi Battalion of the Japanese 5th Division landed on Penang from small boats and the island was theirs.

Fearing his troops would be cut off by the Japanese troops from Kroh, Percival tried to use the natural obstacle of the Perak River as a defines against the Japanese tanks.

The 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment were amalgamated to form the ‘British Battalion’ . The two battalions suffered had heavy losses and were amalgamated on 20th December 1941 as the ‘British Battalion’ under the command of Lieut. Col. C.E. Morrison, D.S.O., M.C., of The Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

Yamashita read the situation well and on the 26th December the 4th Guards Regiment crossed the Perak River to the north of Kuala Kangsar through thick jungle and then headed south for Ipoh, trying to outflank the British, they would then proceed to Kuala Lumpur. The British front had now been joined by the 12th Indian Brigade and the badly cut up 6th Brigade had merged into the 15th Brigade, they had now retreated by the 31st December to a strong defensible sight at Kampar where the artillery for once had a clear sighting of the ground between them and the advancing Japanese.

On the 2nd January the Japanese Guards Division tried landing troops at Kuala Selengor and Port Swettenham but were held off till the 4th when they achieved a landing just north of Kuala Selengor and moved inland at Battalion strength. Percival asked the Perak Flotilla to stop any more landings but it had been bombed continuously and was down to only two motor launches. While the landings were taking place 11th Division had retreated to the Slim River with very thick jungle on either side it was thought the Japanese could not outflank the defenders and the road defences would stop the tanks.

The long retreat down Malaya was now on, pursued and outflanked by the Japanese who were more suitably equipped and prepared for jungle warfare.

1942/02/15 - Singapore surrendered

It is unknown where James died as his grave is unknown, but many of the Leicestershire Regiment where captured and were held at Taiping, Malaya before their deaths.

In "Tigers in Captivity" a book by Ken Hewitt:- ‘In another statement (Ref 13) Cpl Bell said he saw Pte Bray trying to escape Java (more likely Sumatra) with three other in a small boat with the intent of heading to Australia. However, the fate of these four men , and of one other (Pte Craig), has never been established and all of the are remembered on the Singapore Memorial.’

Ref 13 lists WO361/214 and WO361/215 TNA files. The accompaning Table has two asterisks beside Pte J Bray: * Listed by L/Cpl Bird as last seen in Rengat (Ref 13) and ** Grice states last seen in Java (more likely Sumatra). Ref 13. The table has a DoD of 17.02.42 for Pte J Bray 4856463.

1942/03/42 - WO 417/40, Casualty List No. 770. Reported ‘Missing’.

1946/01/26 - WO417/101, Casualty List No.1970. Previously shown on Casualty List No.770 as Missing, 15/02/1942. Original source records Date of Casualty as on or shortly after 01/02/1942. ‘Presumed Killed in Action.

Died

1st February 1942

Grave unknown

Loved Ones

Son of James and Annie Bray

Husband of Margaret Bray, of Springwell, Co. Durham

Memorial