Name
Frank Miller Crane
1887
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
10/03/1915
28
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
3/7828
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LE TOURET MEMORIAL
Panel 10-11
France
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, Holy Saviour Church War Memorial, Radcliffe Rd., Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin
Pre War
Frank was born in 1887 in Cambridge and his parents were Robert and Avis M Crane.
In 1891 the family were living at 5 York Terrace, Cambridge. Present were both parents: Robert (25) and Avis (24), with Robert working as a maltster. Their children were: Frank Miller (4) and Agnes L (1).
In 1901 the family were still at the same address. Present were both parents, with Robert working as a bricklayer’s labourer. To the above children Maude F (8) had been added.
Frank was recorded as joining the ‘Boys’ Temperance League’ around 1900/01 which had been started in a ward of Addenbrookes’ Hospital.
By 1911 the family were living at 27 Mill Street, Cambridge. Present were both parents and all the children listed above except Frank. His absence is explained because by then he had enlisted and his name was listed in the census return completed by the 1st Bn. South Lancashire Regiment – although he was listed as absent. His parents had been married for 22 years with 3 children all living.
Frank served as Private 8649 and was 5’ 6 1/2 ” and weighed 121lbs with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His trade was warehouseman. He enlisted on 23 April 1907 in Cambridge and medically examined in Bury St Edmunds.
He served in India but was invalided home and discharged at Netley on 25 April 1912 as “Having been found medically unfit for further service”. His intended address was 27 Mill Street, Covent Garden, Cambridge – his father’s address in Cambridge. He had served for 5 years (and 1 day) and his conduct and character described as “Very good”. His medical issue is not described.
He married Sarah Askham (b 2/12/1881) in the first quarter of 1914.
Officially Frank was recorded as born in Cambridge and living there when he enlisted in Hitchin.*1
Wartime Service
Despite being discharged from the Army, when wat came, it was reported that he offered to serve, and he may have remained in the Army Reserve. Either way he entered France on 11 November 1914.
Frank was given the Regimental Number 317829 and posted to the 2nd Battalion of the Regiment which was in the 21st Brigade, 7th Division, IV Corps of the 1st Army. He was killed in action in France.
The Battalion was about to take part in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle and moved to billets at Laventie on the 9th March 1915, in order to be near their assembly line. They arrived in the trenches of the assembly area at 5.00am on the 10th March 1915 ready for the Brigade attack in the direction of Moulin-du-Pietre, north east of Neuve Chapelle. The day was misty, cold and raw with rain later and the Brigade was held up by severe fire. The 2nd Bedfords were the Brigade Reserve and at 3.30pm they advanced, being deployed in two lines with two Companies in each line. They suffered from rifle and shellfire and had to cross a bare field of mud under shellfire from both sides and many men were killed on the wire in No Man's Land. Later there was considerable rifle fire before they dug in for the night. There were 16 dead and missing among the other ranks of the Battalion on that day, plus a large number of wounded.
He has no known grave and is remembered on Panels 10 and 11 of Le Touret Memorial to the Missing in the Pas de Calais, France.
Sadly the day before his death he wrote to his wife saying, “I think the end is not far off.”
Additional Information
After his death £3 1s 0d was authorised to go to his widow on 30 September 1915. Later, a war gratuity of £3 was authorised to be paid to him/her, on 5 September 1919.
His pension cards record Sarah Crane his widow as his next of dependant, living at 23, Adam and Eve Row, Cambridge. She was awarded a pension of 10s week from 29 November 1815. This amount was increased by 2s 6d from 2 December 1916.
*1 Frank’s connection to Hitchin has not been established, however the name is listed in full on the Holy Saviour Church War Memorial and there are no other obvious candidates, so there seems little doubt that he lived in Hitchin before the war.
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
