Major-General Edward William Bray, C.B.

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"Captain Bray seems to have been regarded as something of an expert on the subject of rifles.
Hampshire Advertiser Saturday 24 Mar 1860
“A Lecture on the Rifle was delivered on Monday evening by Captain Bray, 83rd Regiment, Rifle Instructor. The corps having mustered at the usual parade, marched to the Council Chamber, where the meeting was held, and at the termination of the lecture, which we trust will be fully appreciated by these aspirants to military fame, they marched in good order to the same place, and were then dismissed.”
He was based at Chichester but he gave instruction in Littlehampton and seems to have been resident there on occasion. In September 1859 he played cricket for Mr Blaker’s team and was described as ‘commanding the fort at Littlehampton. In May 1860 when a soldier at the fort named Owen Burley was accused of a crime, Bray was referred to in court as ‘Mr Superintendent Bray’ and testified in his role as fort commander.xxvii
Another of his duties was to act as field officer for the 1st Sussex Battalion of Rifle Volunteers, being responsible for their training in shooting and skirmishing.

March 29th Captain Bray in 1860. Lecture on rifles in Chichester
May 24th    Dealt with a court case concerning Private Owen Burley in Littlehampton.
June 6th     Wedding.
July 18th    The Melancholy Catastrophe.
August 7th The Review of the Sussex Volunteers at Arundel.

Hampshire Advertiser Saturday 11th August 1860
“On Tuesday the 1st Sussex Volunteer Battalion was reviewed in Arundel-park, and as the weather was all that could be wished, the review attracted a large number of spectators from the country round... Certainly nothing could be prettier than the spectacle which met their view... Up the opposite slope the leading companies could be seen gallantly toiling – the sharp crack of their rifles waking numberless echoes amongst the hills and woods and startling the herds of deer feeding in the distance. The puffs of blue smoke curled gracefully up from amongst the trees and marked the advance of the skirmishers, who in their grey and green uniforms were often completely lost sight of in the thick cover. After about three quarters of an hour of this most fatiguing work – for four companies actually skirmished- the skirmishers were called in, two or three rattling volleys were fired by the reserve and the line was again formed on the ground first taken up... The men of the 1st Sussex Volunteer Battalion have certainly some reason to be proud of their success until the present time...We must not forget to mention Captain Bray, Musketry Instructor to the Depot Battalion at Chichester, who by his exertions contributed not a little to the success of the day.”

Not long after the disaster with private Dockerell, Captain Bray left Chichester and moved back to Chatham becoming Brevet Major in 1862 and Major in 1865. He was in command of the troops quelling the riots in Nottingham in 1865 when fighting broke out between the supporters of Charles Paget and the supporters of Samuel Morley, the candidates for election as MP for Nottingham. The Duke of Cambridge commended him for “his admirable and praiseworthy conduct, and for the firmness and ability he displayed on that occasion.” Soon he transferred to the 4th Foot and went to India again and also to Abyssinia. He became Brevet Lieutenant Colonel in 1868, Lieutenant Colonel in 1875 and Colonel in 1876. He commanded the 4th Foot during the Zulu Wars in South Africa winning a medal for his service. He finally retired with the rank of Major General in 1882 and died in Cheltenham 1891"

Source:Target Practice at Littlehampton Fort; Cotton, Green and Captain Bray.