Name
Albert Edward Crawley
14 October 1896
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
20/10/1916
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
71084
Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
17th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 10 C 10 D and 11 A.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
St Mary's Church Memorial, Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Nash Mills
Pre War
Albert Edward Crawley was born in Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead on 14 October 1896, the son of Henry and Ellen Crawley and one of seven children, although four did not reach adulthood. He was baptised at St Mary's, Apsley End on 18 November.
Albert's father was born in Hemel Hempstead, but worked as a Tanner in London before Albert was born. His first wife Fanny Carpenter died in 1882 in Bermondsey and his father remarried to Ellen Best in St Mary's Church, Apsley End, in 1884.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 3 East Lane, Bermondsey, London, where his father was working as a General Labourer. They later moved back to Hemel Hempstead in 1903 when Albert started his education at Apsley Boys School.
By the 1911 Census they were living at 43 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead where his father was a Mill Hand at the paper factory and Albert was working as a Farm Hand, however, two years later he was working as Brush Maker with G B Kent & Sons in Apsley.
In January 1913 he enlisted with the Territorial Force, joining the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment. He was accepted as he claimed to be 18 years and 2 months, when in fact he was still only 17. At the outbreak of war he was working at John Dickinson & Co at Nash Mills.
Wartime Service
When war was declared Albert was called up as a serving territorial soldier but was not required to serve outside the UK unless he volunteered to do so. Albert did not volunteer and was sent to a 'Reserve' battalion on home defence duties until 14 March 1916 when he was discharged under the provision of the Military Service Act which introduced conscription.
He then enlisted in Hemel Hempstead and served with the 17th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment) and went to the front in June/July 1916. He first saw action in early September near Thiepval when the battalion suffered heavy casualties. He fought in the Battle of Ancre (Battle of the Somme) which began on 1 October.
He was killed in action on 20 October 1916 when the Battalion was in trenches near the Thiepval River and suffered constant heavy artillery barrage and repelled an enemy attack on their positions before being relieved. The war diary noted 4 officers wounded, 17 other ranks killed and 41 other ranks wounded. Albert was one of the 17 killed, aged 20.
He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His father lived at 19 Mill Street, Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead, Herts on pension records. His father Henry received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £2 3s 6d. Albert's mother died two months after him and a local newspaper reported that she had lost the will to live, so great was her grief at the loss of her son. She had been ill for some time and had not been eating sufficient nourishment.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.hemelheroes.com., www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org.,
