John ‘Jack’ Bray was born in Eaglehawk, Victoria on 5 May 1891, the son of John Bellew (Blue) Bray and his wife Alice Bray (nee Harvey) – originally at Maiden Gully and later of Pegleg Road, Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia. John was one of five brothers and sisters. The others were William, David, Catherine and Alice. On leaving school he trained as a Blacksmith and worked in the Austral Drill Company’s foundry in Eaglehawk.

He signed on for a seven year enlistment as a Stoker 2nd Class in the Royal Australian Navy at Melbourne on 7 May 1912. On joining he was described as five feet five inches tall with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was drafted to the light cruiser HMS ENCOUNTER – which had been loaned from the Royal Navy as a Training Ship on 17 May 1912.

John Bray was advanced to Stoker 1st Class on 21 November 1912. He was drafted to the London Depot on 1 January 1913 ‘for Submarines’. He was drafted to ‘Submarines’ on 28 February 1914 ‘for passage to Australia’ and on arrival he was drafted to HMAS PENGUIN on 25 May 1914.

He was reported as missing in HMAS AE1 on 14 September 1914. John Bray was twenty three years old at the time of his death and at that time his mother was living at Clark Street, Harvey Town, Victoria, Australia. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 4.