A WELL-KNOWN army veteran, Freemason and Royal British Legion member has died aged 84.

Paul Bray was born in Chelmsford, Essex in 1937 and died on February 11 this year at home in York.

He attended Colchester Grammar School and his daughter, Debra, said that from an early age her dad learnt to understand the importance of family and being there for others.

Sadly two of his siblings died in childhood and he had to leave sixth form to help his mother manage the family newsagents.

In 1956 he enlisted in the army and following general military training he was asked if he wanted to serve in the Skins, the fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.

He went onto serve in Aden and Libya and Cyprus and in 1961 was seconded to the Sultan of Muscat’s Armed Forces and served for two years in Muscat. He was both a Centurion and Conquerer tank commander. He left the army in1978 at the rank of warrant officer.

It was through the regiment that he met his wife, Gillian, when she visited Weeton in 1968 for an old comrade’s event with her father.

"My father must have had no idea when organising the old comrade’s visit that he would soon after succumb from being a confirmed bachelor to a family man with five daughters," said Debra who is one of five children, Christine, Susan, Valerie and Andrea, who sadly died.

The couple married in 1969 and in 1970 the family joined Paul in Herford, Germany.

Debra said: "Throughout my dad’s life, the regiment and lifelong friends he made there were important to him. He continued to be involved with the Regiment after leaving the army, attended many reunions and was a member of the York Association branch. In later years he enjoyed volunteering in the army museum in York, and reminiscing with visitors about their and their families’ military experiences. As his child the experiences he shared most with me, tended to be those where he generally got up to mischief."

On leaving the army Paul worked in the works study section at Rowntrees in York for four years before moving to Chelmsford between 1982-1989 and then returned permanently to York.

He worked in administration in the prison service and on retirement was discipline executive officer in Full Sutton Prison, having previously worked at Chelmsford, Wetherby and Hull prisons.

He volunteered at the York Army Museum from 2015.

He was a member of the York branch of the Royal British Legion and was part of the congregation at St Deny’s Walmgate and, for the last three years was, a church warden there.

Paul was also a Freemason and was highly thought of by the Brethren of the Minster Lodge No 4663 in York.

Debra said: "He fitted all of this in around looking after his youngest two grandchildren and being the taxi service for his granddaughter, Edith, allowing her to carry out her activities - kickboxing and cadets."

Paul had 16 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren. His funeral was on Wednesday (March 2) at St Deny's.