Name
William Alfred Croft
26 August 1896
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
31/07/1917
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lance Corporal
G/11452
The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
10th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Panel 45 and 47.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial
Pre War
William Alfred Croft was born on 26 August 1896 at Chetnole, Dorset, the son of William and Martha Croft and baptised there on 27 September 1896. He was the youngest of seven children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Coledown, Curdrige, Hants where his father was working as a Coachman Groom. William's father first came to Bovingdon, Herts before moving to Hemel Hempstead in 1906 where the family lived at 73 Cotterells. Willam then attended Boxmoor School and left in January 1910 to help his father with horses (domestic service outdoor), however, by 1911 they had moved to Kemp Cottage, Grove Hill, Hemel Hempstead where his father was working as a Coachman Domestic (for the Elworthy family) and 14 year old William was working as a Baker Boy. At the outbreak of war, William was living at Ripney Hill, Minster, Sheppey, Kent and working as a gardener.
His parents later lived at The Poplars, Prestwood, Great Missenden, Bucks, 13 Redbourne Road, Hemel Hempstead and at 51 Chapel Street, Hemel Hempstead.
(N.B. Sidney Richard Elworthy, the son of his father's employer was killed in 1918 and his name also appears on the Hemel Hempstead Memorial)
Wartime Service
William enlisted on 29 November 1915 in Sheerness, Kent and joined the Royal West Kent Regiment. After basic training at Aldershot he was posted to the 10th Battalion, and sent to France on 3 May 1916 arriving at Havre the following day.
He was admitted to hospital suffering from German measles on 26 August 1916 and, having recovered, was sent back to his unit on 10 September 1916. He then saw action in the Battles of Flers-Courcelette and Transloy (the last engagements in the Battle of the Somme in 1916).
He was appointed paid Lance Corporal on 16 June 1917 and the Battalion having moved to Belgium, then took part in the Battle of Messines. Their next major offensive was to be at the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) and the opening engagement was the attack on Pilckem Ridge on 31 July 1917.
William was killed in action on the first day of the Battle, 31 July 1917, aged 20. He has no known grave and his name name is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £7 10s and pay owing of £10 16s 8d and his mother received a pension of 5 shillings a week. Brother to Walter Henry Croft also named on the Hemel Hempstead Memorial, who served with the Norfolk Regiment and died on 31 August 1916.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
www.hemelatwar.org., www.dacorumheritage.org.uk., www.hemelheroes.com.
