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Biography
Private William David Bray was born September 16, 1893 in Springfield, Antigonish County. He was the son of John Bray and Margaret Floyd. His older brother Joseph D. Bray also served in the First World War and served with Canada. Piror to enlistment, Bray moved to the United States and was living in Montana.
Bray enlisted in the U.S. army August 2, 1917 at Fort George Wright Military Reservation in Spokane, Washington. He trained at the Medical Officers Training Camp at Fort Riley, Kansas during the fall of 1917 until October 10, 1917 when he was placed in the Medical Detachment of the 364 Infantry Regiment of the 91st Division. Bray then served as a Private for the Medical Detachment of the 364 Infantry Regiment of the 91st Division. While stationed at Camp Lewis, Washington in May of 1918, Bray applied for naturalization, signing a petition for naturalization on May 29, 1918. Bray served overseas in Europe from July 12, 1918 to March 31, 1919 with this unit. He engaged in the Saint Mihiel offensive from September 11 to September 12, 1918, Argonne Muese; September 20, 1918 to October 4, 1918 and Adoauce on Scheldt; October 30, to Novemeber 11, 1918. Bray was discharged due to demobilization on April 21, 1919.
Following the war Bray lived in Montana. He married married Mary Mohar of Cleveland, Ohio on November 7, 1922 at St. Gabriel’s Church, Chinook, Montana. They had two daughters and a son in Montana. By 1930 Bray was farming in Polley, Blaine Montana. He stayed in Montana until 1935 when the dust bowl drove him and his family off the farm and back to Springfield, Antigonish County.
Bray died February 2, 1973 in Antigonish. He is buried in St. Andrew Parish Cemetery, St. Andrew’s Antigonish County.
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