Burton upon Stather Heritage Group
Fred Bray Munitions Factory
Introduction
Fred Bray, one of nine siblings was born in Burton on Stather to parents Alfred and Mary Bray in 1876. Bricklaying seemed to be the family trade. The family also lived in Alkborough although it seemed that all Fred's older and younger siblings were born in Burton on Stather. Aged 25 in 1901 found Fred as a boarder in Sheffield at 6 Norwich St. working as a bricklayer.
By 1911 Fred was back living in Burton on Stather working as an Estate Bricklayer and by that time had been married to his wife Elisabeth Cora Bray for 7 years and their first child Barbara was 2 years old, another daughter Isobel was to be born in 1912. Fred's Grand Daughter Barbara Chamberlain fondly remembers Burton during her stays with her Great Aunt, Bella Hunt Cripps, who was the Post Mistress at Normanby.
Obituary
Scunthorpe & Frodingham Star (Lincolnshire Star)The remains of Mr Fred Bray were laid to rest in the village churchyard on Tuesday afternoon in the presences of many sorrowing friends. The deceased was a bricklayer by trade and worked many years or Sir Berkley Sheffield's Normanby Park. Some time ago Mr. Bray removed to Sheffield where he had worked himself into a very important position. It appears the deceased was working at some new furnaces when one side of the structure collapsed burying the deceased in the debris, death being instantaneous. The inquest was held in Sheffield on Monday after which the body was removed to Burton on Stather for internment. Great sympathy is felt for the bereaved especially his wife and family. He was 40 years of age.
issued on 22nd July 1916
By 1915 it was clear there was a shortage of munitions being produced and the Munitions of War Act gave munitions factories and other related industries priority over non-essential work and production was switched. It's unclear as to where Fred was working but here is a list of some of the firms involved in munitions production in Sheffield.
Hadfield Ltd, T. Firth and Sons became National Projectiles Factories under the control of the Ministry of Munitions. Other firms played a key part in Sheffield's war effort including Vickers Ltd, John Brown, Cammell-Laird, Samuel Osborn, Edgar Allen, J. Beardshaw, Marsh Brothers, William Jessop, Seebohm-Dieckstahl (later Arthur Balfour & Co.), Kayser, Ellison & Co., Spear and Jackson and Thomas Andrews.
The accident that caused Fred to lose his life happened on 13th July 1916.
Record Details for Fred Bray
| First Names: | Fred |
|---|---|
| Initials: | F. |
| Surname: | Bray |
| DOB: | Circa |
| Age: | 40 |
| Birthplace: | Burton upon Stather |
| Nationality: | British |
| Resided: | Sheffield |
| Death Date: | |
| Family Info: | Son of Alfred and Mary Bray of Burton Stather, husband to Elisabeth Cora Bray, father to Barbara and Isobel. |
| Service: | Munitions Factory |
| Grave: | Burton-upon-Stather (St. Andrew) Churchyard, Britain   |
| Place of Death: | Sheffield |
Map
Use the interactive map to view the location of Fred Bray's Grave. You can view all the graves, memorials and benches by downloading our KML file which can be viewed in Google Earth and other mapping software.
Sources
- UK Census
- Scunthorpe & Frodingham Star (Lincolnshire Star) Archives.
- Sheffield Archives
Remembered with Honour.
