Bungalow Ben's life spent helping others

Ben, who was born in 1882, died in 1950 and, during his 68 years, was clearly a very popular local personality, highly-active in charity fund raising, particularly for the Royal Infirmary.

As young men, Ben and his brother Joseph both set up in business as builders, though separately. Joe had his base at 32 Chestnut Street, with a depot in St Paul's Street, while Ben operated from - in turn - Hylton Road, Shrubbery Road and New Street.

It's believed the two brothers, together with their three sisters Rose, Nellie and Polly, were from a long-established Worcester family, though descendants have no firm details. Perhaps significantly, a city directory of 1840 lists a William Benjamin Bray, zinc manufacturer of York Place.

Ben Bray was primarily a house builder and, early in the 20th Century, constructed what was said then to be the first bungalow in Worcester. It was in Bath Road. He also built most of the slaughterhouses behind the butchers' shops which used to line The Shambles.

Joe Bray, in contrast, specialised in building bakers' ovens.

From the age of 16, Ben Bray became actively involved in the Tory cause and was to give half-a-century of voluntary service to the Conservative Party in Worcester. As early as 1898, he was helping in the election campaigns of Tories seeking to be elected to the influential Worcester Board of Guardians who, among other things, managed the Worcester Workhouse at Tallow Hill.

From 1910 too, the 28 years-old Ben also began combining his building operations with being a publican.

He took the licence of the Crown & Anchor in Hylton Road and ran it with the considerable help of his wife Julia.

It was there that the couple also started building their family of six children - a boy and five girls. Ben was very much involved in the pub's activities, not least being goalkeeper of the Crown & Anchor football team. He also turned out a few times as goalie for Worcester City FC.

Ben remained as Crown & Anchor licensee throughout the First World War, though he was away on active service as an Army corporal, surviving the battles of the Somme. His wife and Ben's sister Rose were at the helm in the pub during his absence.

However, he gave up the pub sometime after the war to concentrate on his building operations, and the family moved first to one of the flat-roofed houses at the top of Hylton Road, then to Shrubbery Road, and finally to a substantial former shop property in New Street, alongside Nash's Passage.

For many years before it became part of the National Health Service in 1948, Ben was heavily involved in fund-raising for Worcester Royal Infirmary.

He was a member of the WRI committee, and much was owed to his efforts in the organisation of the annual Infirmary Gala plus carnivals, fetes and the like.

Showman Pat Collins always brought his funfair to Pitchcroft during the Infirmary Gala week and gave over one day's takings to the hospital.

Ben also helped organise yearly river outings for local crippled children.

In the mid-1930s, Ben and his wife returned, in effect, to the licensed trade when they were appointed steward and stewardess of the Conservative Club in Sansome Walk.

Ben's firm built the skittle alley which was added to the club in 1937, and the couple were in charge throughout the Second World War.

In fact, Ben was still steward at the time of his death in 1950. His wife survived him by a further seven years.

In 1944, Worcester's Tory MP, W Crawford Greene presented Ben Bray with an illuminated address in appreciation of his then 46 years service to the Conservative cause.

The text, written by the MP, stated: "I can bear testimony to the fact that during my 21 years in Worcester, you have been a tower of strength and unremitting in your labours.

"In the five successive elections which I have fought, you have ever been in the forefront of the battle, assisting at all meetings, arranging transport and visiting every polling station and committee room.

"However, even before my time, I know that you were actively involved in the Conservative cause from 1898."

Alas, only two of Ben and Julia Bray's six children are still alive - Dorothy and Audrey. Here are brief biographical details of the six:

n Nellie worked in Alderman Harold Hopkins' bakery and confectionery shop at Broad Street but later became cashier at the Scala cinema where she met and married the projectionist, Ben Rider

n Albert initially followed in his father's footsteps, joining the family building firm, but he did not take to it and became a masseur at Park's Baths in Sansome Walk, before joining the fire service during the Second World War.

n Rosalind had "a lovely voice" and sang at local events especially Conservative functions. She worked for many years at the Dent, Allcroft Glove Factory and married Bill Fisher, who ran the Wyld's Lane Post Office. After his death she married an architect Tom Maund.

n Verdun (Vera) married baker's roundsman Ron Bruton.

n Dorothy worked for the Ministry of Food at High Street and then at Whittington and was later employed by the Potato Marketing Board. She also spent several years as an invoice clerk at Skan Taylor's. She is married to Ernest Pardoe, who was in the offices of Windshields and Meco before becoming wages manager at Kay & Co for several years. The couple live at Fernhill Heath.

n Audrey, like her sister, worked for the Ministry of Food in Worcester before becoming a telephonist with the GPO and then a wages clerk with Heenan & Froude for eight years. She also had a brief spell in the fire service prior to bringing up her family. Her husband, Leslie Smith was works manager for the Co-op at Worcester and then, in a self-employed capacity, handled the Society's maintenance work over a wide area of the West Midlands. The couple live in Hawkwood Crescent, Worcester.

* Ben Bray, in his final years and wearing a light coloured trilby, helps a Worcester centenarian aboard a river steamer at North Quay for one of the annual outings Ben organised for crippled local children and old people.