OLD EDWARDIANS' ASSOCIATION

Wing Commander Bob Bray

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Robert Walter Bray was born on May 5 1921 in Sheffield and educated at King Edward VII Grammar School in the city. He joined the RAF in June 1940 and trained as a pilot.

In June 1941 he joined No 75 (NZ) Squadron to fly the Wellington, and over the next six months bombed many targets in Germany . In September he attacked La Spezia in Italy . On December 23 he took part in a raid on Düsseldorf, his 32nd and final operation with No 75 Squadron. He was later awarded his first DFC . During a rest period as an instructor, Bray flew a Wellington in the first “1,000 Bomber” raid, on Cologne. Two nights later he flew on the second raid, in which Essen was the target.
 

After he had completed his tour with the Pathfinder Force in June 1944, Bray was rested until April 1945 when, at the age of 23, he was promoted to wing commander and given command of No 571 Squadron. Piloting the high-flying Mosquito, he attacked Berlin eight times in two weeks. On his eighth operation his aircraft was hit by flak but he managed to get back to base. On April 26 he bombed a seaplane base in Schleswig-Holstein. It was his 94th and final operation.

Bray was hoping to remain in the RAF after the war, but the death of his father prompted him to return home where, for the next 40 years, he ran the family business in Sheffield, the men’s outfitters Bray Brothers. A modest, self-effacing man, he greatly enjoyed golf, skiing and travelling around Europe. Bob Bray married, in 1945, Winifred Frith, who died in 1980. His long-standing companion, Alicea Bentall, survives him.

Wing Commander Bob Bray, born May 5 1921, died August 15 2014

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