H A Gray-Cheape DSO

Hugh Annesley Gray-Cheape was promoted from the Worcestershire Yeomanry in 1915 to be Lt-Col commanding the Warwickshire Yeomanry. His brother Captain Leslie Cheape was an officer in the King's Dragoon Guards and appointed adjutant of the Worcestershire Yeomanry. He was killed in April 1916 leading a squadron of the Worcesters. Hugh Gray-Cheape achieved fame when he commanded the Warwickshire and (temporarily) Worcestershire Yeomanry in the charge at Huj on 8 Nov 1917. He survived that terrible ordeal only to drown on 27 May 1918 when HMT Leasowe Castle was torpedoed 100 miles from Alexandria. He and Captain Drake and 9 other ranks of the Warwicks died in the disaster. His date of birth is not known by thepeerage.com but they say that his name was Cheape at first, the Gray was added later when he married Carsina Gordon Gray. He lived at Carse Gray, Forfar, Angus in Scotland which was the family home of the Grays. Hugh and Carsina had 5 children 4 daughters and a son, Lt-Col Leslie Gray-Cheape MBE JP.