The bridge's plaque is mounted on the railing post on the north end of the bridge.
Lieutenant Gray was a recipient of both the
Victoria Cross and the
Distinguished Service Cross, both earned as a pilot with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, while flying in the Pacific near Japan. Born in Trail, BC, he lived most of his short life in Nelson, BC.
Killed in action on August 9, 1945, Lieutenant Gray became one of the last Canadians to be killed in World War II and was the last Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross. This came about during an attack on Japanese warships in Onagawa Wan, Japan while flying a
Goodyear FG-1D Corsair:
From
CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum
On August 9, 1945, as the second atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki, the air war against Japan targets continued unabated. For the second launch of his day, Hammy Gray led two flights of Corsairs against airfields in the Matsushima area, northern Honshu. There was little enemy activity; a first strike from Formidable had left the targets in ruins. Since Gray was briefed for the secondary target of naval ships at nearby Onagawa Bay, he decided to attack.
The other flight members recall him saying he was going in, and peeled off to follow him in the high speed run. As Gray levelled out his Corsair, it was blasted with cannon and machine gun fire. The aircraft was set on fire, and one of his 500 lb. bombs was shot off. He then steadied the aircraft, and aimed his remaining bomb. This bomb hit the ocean escort vessel Amakusa below the after gun turret, exploded the ammunition locker, and blew out the starboard side of the ship. Amakuza rolled and sank immediately.
Gray continued flying but brief seconds later his burning aircraft rolled over, hit the water at high speed, and broke up. Gray was killed, becoming one of the last Canadians to die in combat in WW2. Despite the shock of losing their leader, and in spite of the order to make only one run at each target, the remaining pilots conducted two more successful attacks on the target Japanese ships.
Hammy Gray was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on August 31, 1945 for "determination and address in air attacks on targets in Japan on the 18th, 24th and 28th of July 1945."