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From: "Pam Reay" <>
Subject: [nz] Reay family
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:32:31 -0000


I am very gratefull for the recent help I have had in finding information on Thomas COWLEY.

This time I have a request for finding a member of my husbands family.
We had a lot of help about two years ago from, I think it was Penne.
My husband John REAY is trying to find out what happened to his half brother WILLIAM ( Billy )JAMES REAY who was taken by William's mother, Anna Rebecca REAY, to NZ on May 9th 1947. William was age 4.
We found out that in 1948 ANNA Married a FREDERICK WILLIAM BURTON. We were also given the buirial dates for Anna and Frederick in Aukland, and on the headstone was given the names of five children, the first one being BILL, this could be him but not necessarily.
Since then John has made a number of calls to possible names in your White Pages, but without Success.
It is possible that Billy's name changed to BURTON.
ANNA REBECCA (PARKS ) asumed the name REAY but she wasn't married to John' father. She had a brother ?PARKS, already in NZ.
Due to a family break up John, aged 8,and his sister 6, were living with ANNA in Bedford. when BILLY was born. . John's father was in the Royal Artillary and was sadly killed in Italy in 1945. After his fathers death John and his sister were brought to Oxford to live with their mother who remarried.
John would really like to find what happened to BILLY who probably doesn't know anything about his origins.
This is obviously a very sensitive matter, but any help that you can give would be appreciated.
Regards
Pam

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