Roll of Honor
Incident
Having finished night duty at the Royal Naval Hospital, PC Gray was being taken home by a colleague in the early hours when they approached a crossroads at the junction of Molesworth Road and Wilton Street, Plymouth, where the traffic lights were deactivated at night time.
As they pulled out into the junction they collided with a taxi, causing extensive damage to both vehicles and injuries to all involved. Percy and his colleague were thrown from their vehicle into the roadway. PC Gray suffered a fractured skull and died at the scene. Police attended and with the support of St. John Ambulance all were taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital.
The Coroner later observed the cost savings of not illuminating the traffic lights at night time was hardly worth the cost of human life and recommended they be activated.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-ACP-1EADABA8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Constable Gray served with the Admiralty Civil Police.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Constable Gray.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Constable Percy Gray is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In ENG, 1,349 of 2,827 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 47.7% of this state's fallen. That is 16.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Admiralty Civil Police, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Percy Gray's cause is highlighted.
How Percy Gray Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Percy Gray is highlighted in Jan.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Admiralty Civil Police are honored on badge.nw.
