Name unknown from Simon Perry, in an email dated 4 June 2020. Simon is the great-grandson of Ernest Henry GRAY and Frances Maud ANDREWS.

Might have been an American naval serviceman? Simon in an email dated 16 June 2020 writes:
“We don’t know anything about [David John Perry – born Lindsay Gray’s] father… there have been some theories that his father was a American naval serviceman [near end of WW2]. It was suggested that Nola was in Wellington at the time she fell pregnant which may have been true, but we believe “she went down to Wanganui to stay with family in the latter stages of pregnancy”, indicating she was in Inglewood most likely?”

Simon Perry in an email dated 13 December 2020 updated his research after DNA matches lead to this person (grandfather of Simon) being desendant from a “William Cottier” who originated in the Isle of Man and came to New Zealand. William had a son called “Henry”, who in turn amongst his children had sons Eric and Cyril.

Simon wrote that “William Cottier” married “Mary Jane Grylls”.

Brian of nzolivers responded by email on 15 December 2020 where he wrote:
“Your Mary Jane GRYLLS is the sister to the Richard GRYLLS in my tree”:
https://nzolivers.com/tree/wc01/wc01_228.html

William Cottier m Mary Jane Grylls
. |
Henry Cottier
. | |
Eric or Cyril
. ?
David Perry (born Lindsay Gray)
. |
Simon Perry

New name, from an email dated 13 July 2022 from Simon Perry saying further research from DNA results show that Eric Cottier or Cyril Cottier is not this David Perry (born Lindsay Gray)’s father. Rather it may be a D’arcy Baden Lobb.

In a follow-up email dated 9 August 2022, Simon Perry wrote that, there is still a “Cottier” family connection. David Perry’s possible father, D’arcy Baden Lobb, may be the son of “Edgar Lobb” and “Rita Cottier” who married in 1919.

Full date and place of birth and death, place of burial, from copy of Death Certificate attached to Simon Perry’s 9 August 2022 email.

Information from Simon Perry’s 9 August 2022 email:
-Darcy Baden Lobb was born in 1922
-Darcy’s parents were Edgar Joseph Lobb and Rita Cottier, married in 1919
-Edgar Joseph Lobb’s parents were Joseph Lobb and Angelina Lobb (yes, both Lobb surname)
-Joseph Lobb 1860 - 1945 arrived into Wellington on the Rakaia 1879
-Angelina Lobb 1861 – 1950, arrived on the Orient late 1881 or early 1882
-Joseph and Angelina had 8 children – child 6 was Edgar Joseph Lobb

Brian has found that Eric and Cryil Cottier had a sister called, "Rita May Cowling Cottier" who was born in 1899. Brian of nzolivers has yet to research if "Rita May Cowling Cottier" was the person who married “Edgar Lobb”, father of D’arcy Baden Lobb. If these two Rita’s are the same person, then the tree would look like this:

William Cottier m Mary Jane Grylls
. |
Henry Cottier
. |
Rita Cottier m Edgar Joseph Lobb
. |
Darcy Baden Lobb
. |
David Perry (born Lindsay Gray)
. |
Simon Perry

Confirmation of Darcy’s Mother, Rita:
A subsequent marriage search in August 2022 for marriage of Edgar Joseph Lobb found that yes, the Rita he married, was infact Rita May Cowling Cottier, daughter of Henry William Cottier and Priscilla Cowling.

Henry William Cottier’s mother was Mary Jane GRYLLS. She was the sister to Richard GRYLLS in my tree”:
https://nzolivers.com/tree/wc01/wc01_228.html
Richard GRYLLS married Sophia OLIVER, granddaughter of James and Ruth OLIVER.