Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Alfred Matthew Henry Gray, a blacksmith, born 1851 in Tongue End, Lincolnshire and his wife Ann Alice Gray (nee Atkins, married in the 4th quarter of 1873 in the Uppingham, Rutland district), born 1849 in Hallaton, Leicestershire. Ralph Sneath, was born in the 3rd quarter of 1886 in Hallaton, Leicestershire, his siblings were, William Archie, an under gardener, born 1877 in Preston, Rutland, Ethel Louise, born 1878, Margaret Helen, a schoolgirl, born 1880, Arthur Lionel, a schoolboy, born 1881, Edwin Karl, a schoolboy, born 1883 and Agnes Maud, born 1887, the latter five siblings were all born in Hallaton, Leicestershire, in April 1891 the family home was at Market Square, Hunts Lane, Hallaton, Leicestershire. In March 1901 Ralph was employed as an errand boy and was residing in the family home at 47, Stone Bridge Street, Leicester together with his father, a journeyman blacksmith, his step mother, Frances Alice Gray (nee Hardy, married in the 2nd quarter of 1895 in the Peterborough, Northamptonshire district), born 1864 in Cosby, Leicestershire, and his siblings, Arthur, a general carter and Maud, and his half blood siblings, Billson Hardy, born 1895 in Hallaton, Leicestershire and Harriet Elizabeth, born 1898 in Leicester. In the 2nd quarter of 1902, Ralph’s father died aged 54 in the Leicester district. In April 1911 Ralph was absent from the family home at 141, Bridge Road, North Evington, Leicester, residing there was his widowed step mother, and half blood siblings, Billson, a theatre clerk, Hattie, a schoolgirl and Aileen Alexandra, a schoolgirl, born 1902 in Leicester. Ralph was serving as a Private with the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards and was stationed at Marlborough Lines, Aldesrshot, Hampshire.
The War Diary records: 5 Nov-14 – French on right driven back and line broken. Irish Guards on immediate right also driven back. We were hard pressed and had to refuse our right, when Irish Guards retired, our left held firm. Household Cavalry counter attacked with great loss, stopped German advance, Lieut. Lord Congletons platoon, which was our only reserve filled up gap. A trying and critical day. Lieut. Tufnell killed. Lieut. Dowling wounded. 7 NCO’s and men killed. 68 wounded.
On Saturday November 21st 1914 The Leicester Chronicle and Leicestershire Mercury published the following article under the heading. “LEICESTER MEN KILLED IN ACTION.” – Mr. Harry Higginson, 16, Lothair Road, Aylestone Park, has received from the War Office a notification that his son, Private S. Higginson, of the 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards, was killed in action at Rental, on November 5. Higginson who was only 18 years of age, joined the Coldstreams just a year ago. He went out to France at the beginning of the war, and had fought in a number of actions before meeting a hero’s death. He was an old scholar of Lansdowne Road School, and will be remembered by members of the Aylestone St. James’s Church Lads Brigade as a bugler in that corps. His parents have received a message of sympathy from the King and Queen. A postcard has been received by the parents of Private J. A. Allen, of D Company 1st Leicesters, whose home is at 54, Lytton Road, Leicester, informing them that he is a prisoner of war at Gottingen, Hanover. An intimation has been received from the War Office by Mrs. Gray, of 126, Bridge Road, that her son, Private Ralph Sneath Gray, of the 2nd Coldstream Guards, was killed in action at Rental, Belgium, on November 6th. He was 30 years of age, and would have completed his time in the Battalion at Christmas. Private Gray was a son of the late Mr. Harry Gray, of Uppingham.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
"Ralph had an elder brother, Carl Edwin Gray who, like Ralph, served with the Coldstream Guards. Carl survived the war but suffered dreadful PTSD (shell shock)...Carl died in 1922 from complications associated with his war injuries. Carl, unlike Ralph, was married."

Kindly provided by Andrew Peckham in 2016.

Ralph’s father was one of the village blacksmiths. In 1901 Ralph was working as an errand boy while living with his family who had moved to New Humberstone, Leicester. Like so many of his contemporaries, seeking adventure at the end of 1909 he joined the Coldstream Guards as a regular soldier with the service number 8558. In 1911 he was with 2nd Bn. based in Ramillies Barracks, Marlborough Lines, Aldershot. The battalion entrained at Windsor on 12th August 1914, sailed from Southampton on SS Olympia and SS Novara and landed in Le Havre the following day as part of British Expeditionary Force 4th (Guards) Brigade, 2nd Division. The Battalion was heavily involved in the fighting retreat at Mons where the British Expeditionary Force was in danger of being out-flanked because of the retreat by the French on their right, who were faced with overwhelming odds. The next weeks were ones of intermittent holding a defensive line followed by more fighting retreat westward. By the end of October, now east of Ypres the Battalion was ordered to attack Polygon Wood. The weather was appalling and the woods very thick and the fighting was vicious hand to hand. Near here at the so-called Sanctuary Wood, Ralph Sneath Gray died on 6th November 1914 and is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery there. He is commemorated on Hallaton War Memorial and also at St. Stephen’s Church, East Park Road, Leicester.

Information (including photograph) kindly provided by Dennis Kenyon.