Pte 59155 John Henry Crosby

• Age: 19
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

John Henry Crosby was born on the 20th December 1897 in Liverpool, the son of Robert James Crosby and his wife Mary Catherine (nee Langan) who were married in Holy Trinity Church, Toxteth on the 22nd April 1895. Robert was a 23 year old labourer of 46 Mann Street, Mary was aged 20 and of 18 Mann Street. John was baptised in St Patrick's Church on the 02nd February 1898.

On the 1901 Census the family are living at 250 Beaufort Street, Toxteth. All of the family were born in Liverpool, father Robert is aged 29, and employed as a dock labourer, mother Catherine is 25. They have two children in the household; John aged 4 and Isaac aged 6 months. Another son, Robert James, (1896-1901) died just before the census.

Isaac sadly died aged 1, further children were born, Mary Jane( 1902-1908), George (1905-1909), Catherine (1907), Edward (1909).

On the 1911 Census the family are living at 116 Chester Street, Toxteth. John is 13 years old and at school and he has three siblings: Robert aged 4, Catherine 3 and Edward aged 2. Their mother and father have been married for 15 years and Mary, who goes by her middle name Catherine, has borne nine children of which five have sadly died. Records show that the couple did go on to have more children: George in 1912, Thomas in 1914 and Frederick in 1915. Robert was 38 at the time of the census and working as a tinsmith for the Liver Engine Co. Catherine was 32 and at home.

John enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 59155 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917 aged 19 on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18th Battalion was part of 21st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2nd Lieut. Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken. Not far away from this action, an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men were wounded. They were relieved on the 2nd August.

John Henry's body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

Soldiers Effects to father Robert F., Pension to mother Catherine. His parents are recorded as living at 10 Laxey Street, Toxteth Park, Liverpool after the war.

The family appears on the 1939 register still at 10 Laxey Street. Father is not present, mother Catherine, date of birth 12th October 1877, married, with sons Robert and Thomas.

His mother died, aged 64, in the June quarter of 1941.

His father died, aged 73, in the March quarter of 1945.

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