Edna Eileen Mary Gray

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, (25 April 1920 – 20 May 2015) was an international bicycle racer who founded the Women's Cycle Racing Association, and was president of the British Cycling Federation. She was also mayor of the

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a London boroughs, borough in southwest London. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Chessington, Malden Rushett, New Malden, Surbiton and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the four List ...

and Olympic torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics.

Early life

Gray was born in

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

, London, on 25 April 1920. As a youngster she lived in

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

, near

Herne Hill Velodrome The Herne Hill Velodrome is an outdoor velodrome in Herne Hill, in south London. It is one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world, having been built in 1891. It hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 Summer Olympics and was briefly the h ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she was an engineer, a protected occupation which allowed her to look after her hospitalised mother. While a quality controller in an engine factory on the

Harrow Road Harrow Road is an ancient route in London, North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow, London, Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queen's Park, London, Queens Par ...

, a rail strike disrupted her travel from Herne Hill and she took up cycling, commuting through bomb-damaged streets. She joined the Apollo cycling club; other nearby clubs would not admit women.

Cycling career

In 1946 Gray competed in a women's race at

Ordrup Ordrup is a district of Gentofte Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located circa north of the city centre. History Ordrup was originally a small village which only consisted of eight farms and a forge. The area ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark, in Britain's first women's international team. In the Women's Cycle Racing Association, she promoted the cause of women's cycle racing. In 1976 Gray became president of the British Cycling Federation, (now known as

British Cycling British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation) is the main national sport governing body, governing body for cycle sport in United Kingdom, Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands a ...

Awards and celebrations

Gray was appointed a

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

1978 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1978 were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those c ...

for service to the British Cycling Federation, and promoted to

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

1997 Birthday Honours The 1997 Birthday Honours were announced on 14 June 1997 for the United Kingdom and on 2 June 1997 for New Zealand.New Zealand list: Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Monarch's Official Birthday in the United K ...

for services to sport. In 1991, aged 71, she was given a page in the ''

Golden Book of Cycling The ''Golden Book of Cycling'' was created in 1932 by ''Cycling'', a British cycling magazine, to celebrate "the Sport and Pastime of Cycling by recording the outstanding rides, deeds and accomplishments of cyclists, officials and administra ...

'', where she was described as ''a champion of women's racing and an administrator of vision and authority''. In 2010 Gray became one of the initial inductees into the

British Cycling Hall of Fame The British Cycling Hall of Fame was established in 2009 as part of British Cycling's 50th anniversary celebrations. On 17 December 2009, the names of fifty one people involved in cycling to be inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame we ...

, cited as "founding the Women's Cycle Racing Association of which she became BCF President" and as ''key to women's racing becoming part of the Olympics from 1984''. Gray was a torchbearer in Kingston for the 2012 London Olympics, on Tuesday 24 July .

Freemasonry

In 2005 the BBC reported that Gray was the head of

The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Masons Freemasonry has had a complex relationship with women for centuries. A few women were involved in Freemasonry before the 18th century, despite ''de jure'' prohibitions in the Premier Grand Lodge of England. The French ''Lodges of Adoption'', w ...

, one of two orders of women's Freemasons in the UK. In 2001, in a public message to the Women's Masonic Fraternity, she wrote that she had been a freemason for more than 50 years.

Local government

Gray was a Conservative councillor between 1982 and 1998 in

and was mayor of the borough for a year from May 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Eileen 1920 births 2015 deaths People from Bermondsey Cyclists from the London Borough of Southwark Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English female cyclists British female cyclists English Freemasons Conservative Party (UK) councillors Conservative Party (UK) mayors Mayors of places in Greater London Women mayors of places in England Women councillors in England Councillors in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames English sports executives and administrators 20th-century English sportswomen