OBITUARY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 47, 25 February 1939, Page 8

OBITUARY

MRS. CECIL WRAY Cable advice was received in Wanganui yesterday of the death in London of Mrs. Ada Wray, wife of Mr. Cecil J. Wray, barrister and solicitor, who w>as a former resident of Wanganui, where he practised in the legal profession in partnership with Mr. C. P. Brown. Mrs. Wray, who was born in England, came out to New Zealand, where she married and returned to London with her husband before the Great War, when he decided to take up his permanent residence there. Mrs. Wray, during the war, her, me keenly interested in the welfare of the New Zealand soldiers who were in Walton-on-Thames Hospital, and continued to work for them at ihe ’ close of the war when they were ; transferred to Queen Mary's Hospital, [Roehampton. Here there are limbless ex-soldiers, but as far as is known there <are no New Zealand soldier patients there now.

Mrs. Wray continued to make fortnightly visits through the intervening years to the hospital, taking gifts. A fund was organised by the Victoria League in Wanganui to buy comforts for the soldiers and the proceeds were sent to Mrs. Wray to distribute, and with these she bought Christmas gifts for both the soldieis and staff of the hospital. The Victoria League each year organised a bridge party and usually forwarded from £22 to £26 to supplement Mrs. Wray’s funds. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wray did wonderful work during the war period in the interest of New Zealand soldiers, and acted as host and hostess to many. Mr. Wray is the New Zea»:id representative on the International Rugby Board, and also represents the Wanganui Collegiate Board of Trustees in London.

Regularly letters were received by Wanganui friends from Mrs. Wray keeping them informed of the activities of many New in London.