Incident
Patrolman Ward Bray was killed when his police motorcycle was struck by a commercial vehicle while he was on patrol near the intersection of Centre Street and Walter Street. He was driving a motorcycle with a sidecar at the time of the crash. The other driver was arrested on a charge of manslaughter. Patrolman Bray was a U.S. Army veteran of WWI and had served with the Boston Police Department for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MA-027A1D23- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Bray gave the Boston Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Roxbury Crossing community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Ward M. Bray served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Ward M. Bray 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 MA, 158 of 469 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Boston Police Department, 31 of 106 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ward M. Bray's cause is highlighted.
How Ward M. Bray Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ward M. Bray is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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