Name
George Crawley
1 June 1891
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
01/07/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Corporal
16063
Devonshire Regiment
9th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
DEVONSHIRE CEMETERY, MAMETZ
A. 4.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St John the Evangelist Church Memorial, Boxmoor
Pre War
George Crawley was born in Cowper Road, Boxmoor, Herts on 1 June 1891, the son of Daniel and Annie Crawley and one of eleven children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 9 Cowper Road, Boxmoor, where his father was working as a Sawyer's Labourer for Foster's Sawmills on Kingsland Road.
He was educated at Boxmoor School, although he and his brother Montague sometimes missed school as they were working illegally, employed by shopkeepers. George was however a good student and left in June 1904 to work for John Dickinson & Co Ltd at Apsley Mills.
On the 1911 Census, George was a boarder at the home of Frederick and Sarah Taylor at 2 Cardington Street, Islington, London and was working as a packer for a drapery company. His future wife Isabella, niece of Frederick Taylor, was also living there.
He married Isabella Green on 26 May 1912 at St Saviour's Church, Hoxton, Hackney, London. They had two boys, George W and Alfred Montague (both born in Hemel Hempstead registration district) and his widow was living at 60 Hyde Road, Hoxton, London on pension records and 85 Church Road, Southgate Road, London on CWGC records.
His parents remained in Cowper Road, Boxmoor and lived there for more than 50 years.
Wartime Service
George enlisted in London and served with the Devon Regiment, being posted to the 9th (Service ) Battalion. After basic training, the 9th Battalion left for France on 28 July 1915 and saw action at the Battle of Loos in September. He was promoted to Corporal and in 1916 prepared for an assault on the German positions.
George was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Albert (Battle of the Somme), which included the capture of the village of Mametz, and was one of over 80,000 casualties during the first two weeks of July.
He is buried in the Devonshire Cemetery, Mametz, Somme, France.
Additional Information
His widow received a pension of 19 shillings a week for herself and her two children. She also received a war gratuity of £5 10s and pay owing of £2 17s 3d. Assuming George went to France with the 9th Battalion in July 1915, he was eligible for the 1914/15 Star but the medal index cards only show the British War and Victory medals. Brother to Montague Crawley who died in 1918 and is named on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial in France and also on the Hemel Hempstead Memorial.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.hemelheroes.com, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.rtfoww1/devonshire-16063
