Henry Wray
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Henry Wray CMG
(1 January 1826 – 6 April 1900) was a Royal Engineers
officer who arrived in Fremantle
on 12 December 1851 and was responsible for carrying out the construction plans for Fremantle Prison
for Edmund Henderson
.
, now Guyana
on 1 January 1826. The son of Charles Wray, Chief Justice
of Demerara, Wray graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich as Second Lieutenant in 1843. Postings in Ireland
and Gibraltar
followed, and Wray's abilities as an engineer
soon saw him promoted to First Lieutenant in 1846. Married in 1848 to Mary Drinkwater, the daughter of eminent historian Thomas Drinkwater, Wray then moved back to Woolwich in 1850.
In 1851 he was selected to travel to Western Australia
along with other married soldiers of 20th Company Royal Engineers
. After arrival he was appointed as a magistrate
to the colony, and given responsibility for the construction of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison
), based upon designs by Edmund Henderson
.
Wray personally designed many buildings, bridges and roads in the Perth
area, and in April 1854 was promoted to rank of Second Captain. Around this time The Royal Engineers left to serve in the Crimean War
, but Wray remained and was promoted to First Captain.
After Henderson's departure in 1856, Wray succeeded him as Acting Comptroller General of Convicts
. After serving in the position for two years, he was described in a letter from the Governor of Western Australia
Arthur Edward Kennedy
as “a most exemplary and industrious officer who has for many months done the work of several”.
Henry Wray left Australia on 2 January 1858 to return to England. In 1860 he was commissioned to help determine the boundaries between the British Honduras
(Belize
) and Guatemala
. This was a difficult undertaking that saw him injured several times by both nature and natives. By this time he had been promoted to the local rank of Major. After the signing of the Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty
, he was then posted to Japan
with a company of sapper
s.
Wray returned to England in 1865 becoming Chief Royal Engineer at Chatham
. He published several works on Engineering that were to reform teaching methods in the field. After several years he became Chief Royal engineer in Malta
, and was involved in several military and civil engineering projects before moving to Ireland
in 1879 for 7 years. Promoted to Major-General in 1882, Wray became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
until his retirement in 1887. He died from pneumonia
at Bournemouth
on 6 April 1900, aged 75.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1 January 1826 – 6 April 1900) was a Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
officer who arrived in Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
on 12 December 1851 and was responsible for carrying out the construction plans for Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. The site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art...
for Edmund Henderson
Edmund Henderson
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson KCB was an officer in the British Army who was Comptroller-General of Convicts in Western Australia from 1850 to 1863, Home Office Surveyor-General of Prisons from 1863 to 1869, and Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, head of the London...
.
Military career
Henry Wray was born in DemeraraDemerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
, now Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
on 1 January 1826. The son of Charles Wray, Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of Demerara, Wray graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich as Second Lieutenant in 1843. Postings in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
followed, and Wray's abilities as an engineer
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
soon saw him promoted to First Lieutenant in 1846. Married in 1848 to Mary Drinkwater, the daughter of eminent historian Thomas Drinkwater, Wray then moved back to Woolwich in 1850.
In 1851 he was selected to travel to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
along with other married soldiers of 20th Company Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. After arrival he was appointed as a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
to the colony, and given responsibility for the construction of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Prison is a former Australian prison located in The Terrace, Fremantle, in Western Australia. The site includes the prison, gatehouse, perimeter walls, cottages, tunnels, and prisoner art...
), based upon designs by Edmund Henderson
Edmund Henderson
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edmund Yeamans Walcott Henderson KCB was an officer in the British Army who was Comptroller-General of Convicts in Western Australia from 1850 to 1863, Home Office Surveyor-General of Prisons from 1863 to 1869, and Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, head of the London...
.
Wray personally designed many buildings, bridges and roads in the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
area, and in April 1854 was promoted to rank of Second Captain. Around this time The Royal Engineers left to serve in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, but Wray remained and was promoted to First Captain.
After Henderson's departure in 1856, Wray succeeded him as Acting Comptroller General of Convicts
Comptroller General of Convicts (Western Australia)
The Comptroller General of Convicts was the head of the convict establishment in Western Australia.The office existed from 1850, when Western Australia first became a penal colony, until 1872, four years after penal transportation to Western Australia had ceased.-History:Western Australia's first...
. After serving in the position for two years, he was described in a letter from the Governor of Western Australia
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
Arthur Edward Kennedy
Arthur Edward Kennedy
Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy GCMG CB was a British colonial administrator who served as governor of a number of British colonies, namely Sierra Leone, Western Australia, Vancouver Island, Hong Kong and Queensland....
as “a most exemplary and industrious officer who has for many months done the work of several”.
Henry Wray left Australia on 2 January 1858 to return to England. In 1860 he was commissioned to help determine the boundaries between the British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
(Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
) and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. This was a difficult undertaking that saw him injured several times by both nature and natives. By this time he had been promoted to the local rank of Major. After the signing of the Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty
Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty
The between Britain and Japan was signed October 14, 1854 in Nagasaki. The United Kingdom was represented by Admiral Sir James Stirling, with the governors of Nagasaki representing the Tokugawa shogunate ....
, he was then posted to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with a company of sapper
Sapper
A sapper, pioneer or combat engineer is a combatant soldier who performs a wide variety of combat engineering duties, typically including, but not limited to, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defences, general construction and building, as well as road and airfield...
s.
Wray returned to England in 1865 becoming Chief Royal Engineer at Chatham
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
. He published several works on Engineering that were to reform teaching methods in the field. After several years he became Chief Royal engineer in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and was involved in several military and civil engineering projects before moving to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1879 for 7 years. Promoted to Major-General in 1882, Wray became Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown....
until his retirement in 1887. He died from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
on 6 April 1900, aged 75.