AAE position: Second Officer of SY Aurora for all five cruises from 1911 to 1914

In their own words

… Gray, the Second Mate, proved himself a competent navigator.

— JK Davis, High Latitude

English-born Gray was 22 when he joined the AAE in 1911. After an education in England he served aboard Worcester as a cadet for 18 months. He was an apprentice on the Glasgow vessel Archibald Russell, and later served with the New Zealand Shipping Company. He reached third officer rank during service with the Peninsula and Oriental Company from 1909 to 1911. He joined the AAE as Aurora’s second officer, a position he retained throughout five cruises from 1911 to 1914.