Tuesday 19th February 2008
David Joe Gray was born at Lower Pertwood, near Warminster, on 26 July 1935. He was the younger of the two sons of Reginald and Gladys Gray. He spent many of his early years exploring the countryside by pushbike with his brother Ken and close friends. He was also interested in football and cricket.
At age 15, he left school at Hindon, with little formal education. This was not a handicap for him though, because he was very much a hands-on person and learnt by experience on the job.
He commenced work for the Stratton family on a farm at Kingston Deverill, beginning with cart horses in the days before the arrival of tractors. He used to recall the Land Army girls who, he said, teased him.
He developed a keen interest in bicycles and motorbikes, becoming a member of the Ace of Clubs cycling club which was based at Kingston Deverill. When spare time and money allowed, he used to go watching speedway and scrambling.
He loved working on the land, enjoying the changing seasons, and facing the challenges of the different roles and demands placed upon him, mainly with arable crops. He was also a stockman, looking after cattle and sheep, when the family resided at Marriage’s Farm, Hill Deverill. He used to say that if a sheep had a leg at each corner and a pair of horns on top, it was probably alright!
While living at Hill Deverill David played cricket for Kingston Deverill, and his former colleagues remember him being a good bowler but not so good with the bat. He was also, at one time, captain of the darts’ team at the George Inn, Longbridge Deverill. He enjoyed watching sport and was a life-long supporter of Arsenal Football Club.
Eventually he stepped aside from farming and spent the rest of his working life at the REME Workshops in Warminster.
During the latter years of his life David Gray enjoyed gardening, and as a way of earning money for family holidays he looked after other people’s gardens. Holidays had been out of the question when he worked on the farm. He grew prize-winning fuchsias and he was a member of the Warminster Fuchsia Society.
David had been lucky in love, marrying twice, each wife adoring him for a total of 50 years. He had three children from his first marriage, four step children from the second (to Ann), and ten grandchildren.
David died at his home on 6 February 2008. He was 72. His funeral was held at West Wiltshire Crematorium, Semington, on 19 February 2008. The service was conducted by the Rev. Denis Brett.