Serjeant 48045 Alfred Andrew Crawford

• Age: 25
• From: Widnes
• Regiment: 2/8 LANCS FUSIL
• Died on Thursday 21st March 1918
• Commemorated at: Templeux Le Geurard Bc
  Panel Ref: II.B.30

Alfred Andrew Crawford was born in 1892 in Ditton, Widnes and was baptised on the 16^th October 1892 at St Michael’s Church, Ditton. He was the son of William Crawford and his wife Harriet (nee Nickson) who married in March 1889.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at Ash Tree Lane, Ditton, Lancashire. His father, William, is aged 35, born in Hastings, Sussex in 1866  and is employed as a builder and contractor, his mother, Harriet, is aged 34, born 1867 in Frodsham, Cheshire and has no occupation listed. They have three children at the time of the Census; Sarah aged 12, born 1889 in Kelsall, Cheshire, Alfred Andrew aged 9 and Annie 5, born 1897 were both born in Ditton.

The 1911 Census shows the faily living in Hough Green. His father ,William, is aged 46, his mother Harriet is aged 45. They advised that they have been married for twenty two years and have had three children all of whom are declared; Nellie  is aged 21 and a shop assistant,  Andrew,  is aged 18, and is a scholar at technical school and Annie  aged 14 is a shop assistant.

Alfred Andrew enlisted as Andrew in 1914 at Liverpool joining the 17th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private 15884. 

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

At some point he was transferred to the 2/8^th  Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers. It was whilst serving as Sergeant 48045 with the 2/8^th Lancs Fusiliers that he was killed in action on the 21st March 1918, aged 26.

He now rests at Templeux Le-Guerard British Cemetery, France.

The village was taken early in April 1917, lost on the 21st March 1918, and retaken by the 15th Suffolks of the 74th (Yeomanry) Division on the following 18th September. Templeux-Le-Guerard British Cemetery was begun by the 59th Division in April 1917, and carried on by other units until August 1917, and again in September and October 1918. After the Armistice, a further 360 graves were brought in from the battlefields (of April 1917 and March and September 1918) surrounding the village and in 1930, the British graves from the following two cemeteries were brought in:- GOUY BRITISH CEMETERY (Aisne), was in the hamlet of Rue-Neuve (or Rue-du-Moulin), on the road from Gouy to Estrees. It stood in a paddock among pasture fields, close to a farmhouse. It was made by the 50th Division (as very recently reconstituted) in October 1918, and it contained the graves of 127 soldiers from the United Kingdom (almost all from that Division) and one from Australia; the dates of death were the 3rd-10th October, except for one soldier who died on the 18th. Le Catelet and Gouy were captured by the 50th Division on the 3rd October 1918. STE EMILIE BRITISH CEMETERY, VILLERS-FAUCON, stood in the grounds of the Chateau of Ste Emilie, between the house and the railway station. It was begun by the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division in May 1917, carried on by Cavalry and other units and Field Ambulances until March 1918, and used again by British and American troops in September-November 1918. It contained the graves of 196 United Kingdom soldiers, 108 American, 22 Australian and one South African (the American graves, mainly of the 107th and 108th Infantry Regiments, were removed to Somme American Cemetery, Bony, before 1922). The American 27th and 30th Divisions, with Australian troops, attacked and carried the Hindenburg Line, a little East of Ste Emilie, on the 27th-30th September 1918. There are now over 750, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly a quarter are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 16 soldiers from the United Kingdom, known or believed to be buried among them. The irregular lettering of the Rows is due to the concentrations of graves carried out after the Armistice. The cemetery covers an area of 2,509 square metres and is enclosed on three sides by a low rubble wall.

Soldiers Effects to father William and pension to mother Harriet.

Alfred Andrew Crawford is also commemorated on the War Memorial located at Wade Deacon High School, Birchfield Road, Widnes.

His father William died aged 54 in March 1920 and his mother Harriet died aged 72 in September 1939.

We currently have no further information on Alfred Andrew Crawford, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.