showcasing his military career with the Royal Marines, comprising 1914-18 medal and Great War medal awarded whilst a Private in the R.M.L.I, a George V silver waiter by Gladwin Ltd, Sheffield 1929, engraved ‘Presented to Lieut D.J. Grey by his Brother Officers, The Depot R.M. Deal’, dated 7th December 1929, a Chinese 90 standard silver tankard engraved ‘Presented to Capt. Grey by ‘M’ Section H.K.V.D.C.’ (Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps) dated 1937, his tunic, swagger stick, two portraits and
| Estimate: | £1,000 - £2,000 |
dress sword
Provenance: By direct family descent.
Literature: There is a lack of documented information about Donald Grey, but by family repute, Donald, or Johnny as he was known, was walking down the street circa 1916/7 when a stranger gave him a white feather. Although he was only sixteen he looked older and this affront caused him to try to sign up, however the only service that would take on a sixteen year old was the Royal Marines.
He joined up initially for hostilities only but fell in love with the Marines and received his commission and stayed on, with one of his postings being Hong Kong. At the outbreak of war, he was seconded to Vickers Armstrong and worked with R.J. Mitchell to conceive the Grey and Mitchell bombs, as well as working on desalination units for submarines.
Sadly Johnny met with a premature end - whilst riding his motorbike to a demonstration of one of his new designs, he hit a rope across the road that was supposed to warn of an unexploded bomb up ahead, but the sign had fallen off. He was badly injured, sent to a plastic surgery hospital where he was given the wrong blood group and he died of pneumonia late in 1944.
Johnny left behind his wife, two young children and an unborn baby.
