Name
Herbert Croft
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
21/04/1915
26
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
3/6094
Bedfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 31 and 33.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Wheathampstead Village Memorial, Not on the Peter's Green memorials
Pre War
Herbert was born in Peters Green, Kimpton, Hets., (baptised in Kimpton on 2 Feb 1890) the eldest son of Felix Croft, an agricultural labourer, and Annie (nee ).
On the 1891 Census Herbert was living with his parents at Great Cutts, Wheathampstead. On the 1901 Census Herbert was living with his parents at Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, he now had younger brothers Percy (born in 1892), Frederick (born 1893) and sister Daisy (born 1895). By the 1911 Census Herbert was employed as a labourer with Great Northern Railway, living with his parents at Bury Cottages, Wheathampstead. His father was employed as a shepherd, at Bury Farm, Percy and Frederick were labourers at a Dairy. Daisy was working as a domestic servant at Place Farm, Wheathampstead.
Wartime Service
No Service record was found for Herbert, he enlisted in the Bedfordshire as Private 3/6094 probably in the 3RD (Reserve) Battalion for training, He went to France on 12 Sep 1914 to join 1st Battalion in the field and may have taken part in the Battles of the Aisne, La Bassee and 1st Ypres in 1914. The 1st Beds were heavily involved in Defence of Hill 60 and on the 20 & 21 April 1915 were in the front line under heavy bombardment from Germans by machine gun, Fields guns at close range and Heavy Artillery severely damaging their trenches. The losses in this period 4 Officers killed, 8 Wounded and over 400 other rank casualties. Herbert was reported killed in this action on 21 Apr 1915, his remains were not recovered and he is remembered on the Menin Gate memorial, Ypres.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £3 and arrears of £12 6s 9d was paid to his Father.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
