My father, at this time CSM Douglas McCreath, is seated in the centre of the front row with his arms folded. Major Magnus V. Gray is second to his left with the dog at his feet.
In August 1944 the Battalion was sent to France, and in October took part in the 52nd Division Walcheren-Antwerp operations.
Major Gray was wounded in November, but returned to the 7th Battalion, then in the neighbourhood of Brussels, early in December. On 21st January 1945, after five days` heavy fighting, the Battalion was engaged in a counter-attack in a small village near Sittard. Word came that a small detachment had been separated from the main body, and Major Gray set out with only a few men to find them. He was hit by mortar fire, and when discovered some hours later died in a field dressing station from loss of blood. He is buried at Sittard.
The Battalion comprised ‘HQ’ Company, ‘A’ Company, ‘B’ Company, ‘C’ Company and ‘D’ Company; and other informal groups such as the Sergeants Mess.