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Private Alfred Crossley
Regimental numbers 4132 (DLOY) & 245507 (12Bn (DLOY) Manchester Regiment)
Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry,1/1st battalion later in the Manchester Regiment,12th battalion. (Duke of Lancasters.)
Born in Bradford, Manchester 28th October 1893, the second son and fourth child of George Crossley, cotton spinner and Elizabeth nee Thornton of 60, Park Road, Bradford Manchester.
1901 Census: aged 7 at 32, Phillip's Park Road, Bradford, Manchester.
1911 Census: aged 17 with family at 122, Mill St.Bradford, Manchester.Cotton Mule Piecer.
Married Ada Crompton at Christ Church, Bradford, Manchester 3rd Sept. 1921. Died Gomersal, West Yorkshire 9th July 1968.
Volunteered in February 1915. Training at Heaton Park & Stretford, (photos), the Curragh, Ireland. (photo, addressed to his Mother at 26, Rylands Street, Ardwick, Manchester. England. Entered Theatre of War, 28th October 1915 with 12th Batallion. His first crossing to France was from Southampton to Rouen. He was also at Compien, Amiens. Arras. Cambrai. Mons. Lille. Ypres(1st July), Loos, Marne, Passchendaele. Etaples (Bull Ring.) St.Quentin, Menin Gate, Albert. In Hospital blue at Filey and Monmouth. (photo)
Note: For more background on The Curragh click this link.
For more background information on the role of Heaton Park in WWI click this link.
Grandad's Commanding officer was very well liked by his men, he lived in North Yorkshire and his Butler came with him as his Batman. When the Butler had had a few drinks he let slip that the commanding officer and his wife lived in different wings of their house in North Yorkshire as they did not get on.
One morning as was routine the horses and stables had to be cleaned before breakfast, Grandad had just finished doing that when his horse 'went' all over the clean floor and as that would involve even more work Grandad gave her a slap on her rear end and swore. This was a chargeable offence. He then heard his commanding officer behind him and feared the worst. " Now, now Crossley ", said the Officer. But that was the end of the matter, nothing more was said.
When the time came for many in the Yeomanry to be dismounted and moved to the 12th Manchesters, all wanted to stay because of their allegiance to, and trust in, their Officer. He said he would be proud to keep them all but unfortunately, it was not possible. Grandad was one who was dismounted. I would dearly love to know the name of this man who was so well thought of....
Photographs of Bradshaw Hall, Bolton - home of Colonel HM Hardcastle, Commanding Officer The Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry at the outbreak of WWI.
(Demolished in 1949)
Link to The Family of Thomas Hardcastle - father of Colonel HM Hardcastle
While in France Grandad learnt to speak French. While he was waiting in the kitchen to collect washing from the home of the woman who did the laundry, her married daughter rushed into the kitchen in a great state of excitement. The daughter's husband had been presumed dead in the fighting but she had just been told he was, in fact, alive, but a Prisoner of War. At which the older woman said " Ssh, the big soldier understands French " so they continued speaking in a patois which of course Grandad could not understand.
Alfred was riding one horse while having another in hand when the horses refused to move on. Grandad saw a body at the side of the road and assumed that was the reason for their stopping.
Once, on going into an abandoned house there were two pairs of Rosary beads lying on the kitchen table. Grandad's friend was a Catholic and took the gold coloured pair, Grandad took the silver coloured ones, which have now been given to Lieutenant Colonel Tustin.
Going into abandoned houses was dangerous because of booby traps left by the enemy. One house Grandad went into had a pair of candlesticks curiously still in place on the mantlepiece which no-one touched. Unfortunately, there was an explosion in that very house later resulting in casualties. Was it the candlesticks?
Grandad's pocket watch got so full of mud that it stopped working and had to be sent home to his Mother for cleaning, this too has been given to Lieutenant Colonel Tustin.
There was a Jewish lad with Grandad's group; when the men fried their bacon the Jewish boy, of course, could not eat it, so he would wait until the bacon was out of the pan then wipe his bread around in the remaining fat and eat that.
In 1916 some men who had been in Ireland during the Troubles there joined them. Grandad said to one man that he presumed it was better to be in Ireland than here in France. The man replied, "no because here you knew who your enemy was."
Alfred said that of the men of his Battalion who went into one particular battle, only 18 came out totally unscathed....
Extract from 12t(DLOY) Bn Manchester Regiment War Diary...
6/7/1916
Battalion remained in Lozenge Wood until 8.0pm when ordered to assemble in Fricourt Wood as Brigade Reserve and remained there until 3.30am when orders were received to relieve 9th Northumberland Fus. in Quadrangle Trench and to send an Officer to Brigade HdQrs for Orders. Lieut. N.G. Crawhall was sent.
7/7/1916
Battalion arrived at Railway Copse at 6.30am and were distributed in trenches on ridge under hedge 800yards N of Copse which they reached under heavy fire and with some loss. 7.25am Lieut. N.G. Crawhall arrived with orders that we were to assault Quadrangle Support at 8.0am, the 9th Northumberland Fus and 9th West Riding Regt having failed. There being no time to issue written orders, the C.O. (Lieut. Col E.G. Harrison) and Adjutant (Capt. B. DuVal) went up to hedge to organise attack. Attack launched at 7.50am from Ridge to go over 9th Bn Northumberland Fus in Quadrangle Trench. Organisation D and B Coy leading, C Coy support, A Coy Reserve, Battn Bombers held by H.Q. About 10.0am news came of complete failure of attack under barrage and enfilade M.G. Fire. At 2.30pm the C.O. was ordered to go up and organise attack with all available troops in Quadrangle Trench and was wounded on his way up. The Adjutant sent orders to O.C. 9th North. Fus and advised 52nd Brigade. Battalion relieved by 51st Bde at 7.30pm. The following casualties occurred. Lieut. Col. E.G. Harrison CB DSO Wounded. Major G.S.W. Rusbridger wounded. Major H.F. Browell wounded. Capt. H. McKean killed. Capt. E.R. Thompson wounded. Capt. J.H. Betts killed. Lieut. H. Bate wounded & missing. Lieut. N.G. Crawhall wounded & missing. 2nd Lt. E. Kingsley wounded & missing BK. 2nd Lt. F. Latimer killed. 2nd Lt. J. Adams wounded. 2nd Lt. J.S. Greenwood killed. 2nd Lt. A.B. King killed. 2nd Lt. C.J. Alderton killed. 2nd Lt E.F. Smith killed, and 539 O.R.
Night 7/8th Battn returned to Meaulte.
8/7/1916
Major P.M. Magnay joined & took over command of Battalion. Battn moved by march route to VILLE.
9/7/1916
A period of re-organisation and refitting commences.
At some point in 1917 or later, so dated because there is an American in the story, Grandad got frostbite in his toes. As this developed he began to feel more and more warm and comfortable and as a result, kept drifting off to sleep. Of course, these are classic symptoms and everyone knew he had to be kept awake at all costs, this his mates managed to do. Finally, he was examined by an American doctor who declared ''Gee, I guess those toes will have to come off.''
''No they won't '' snapped back a British doctor, no doubt well used to seeing frostbite. Grandad kept his toes.
An Irish nursing Sister who looked after Grandad gave him a Miraculous medal to keep, saying it would keep him safe and that no one carrying one had ever been brought in to the Hospital injured. ( A miraculous medal is of the Virgin Mary.)
Once, the Music Hall star Marie Lloyd came to entertain the wounded. As the men went out of the ward to see her, one soldier who had lost both his legs said ''Give us a lift Alf '' and Grandad carried him from his bed to the concert. Grandad was later to comment how light a person is without legs. Some of his convalescence was spent at Filey, Yorkshire where walking on the sand and in the sea was considered beneficial for feet. Grandad, who had never been to Filey before was thereafter very fond of the place and would spend summer holidays there, pointing out the Hotel where he had spent his time as he said as ' a wounded soldier.' A photo was also taken during his convalescence in Monmouth. The back of the photo reads '' 245636 Pte.W.Bradbury 'A' Company 12th D.L.O.Batt. Manchesters.'
In 1918 Grandad was again going towards the Front by train. As he travelled towards the Front, another train carrying French soldiers was coming away. As the two trains slowly passed each other it was plain that the French were shouting and cheering and jumping up and down.
'' What do they say Alf? What do they say?'' asked those with Grandad. ''They say the War is over'', he replied.
And it was.
The aftermath of War: Alfred's sister Amy died in 1919 aged 28 during the Influenza epidemic. In September 1921 Alfred married Ada Crompton, who's fiancee Clarence Duckworth of The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment had died of wounds, in Manchester 19th Sept.1918 aged 23. Alfred's friend Fred, that is Frederick Christopher Jackson of the 12th Manchesters, did not survive. He died aged 21 on 10th Nov.1917 and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. He was the son of Christopher and Mary Ann Jackson of Stoupe Brow Farm, Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire. Alfred's Cousin James Shepherd of the Lancashire Fusiliers died 31st July 1917 aged 29. His name is on the Menin Gate. James's Mother Mary Ann could not rid herself of the hope that somewhere her son was alive. For years afterwards, she would ask Grandad if he thought James might have lost his memory and was wandering around somewhere. Grandad would always say gently to her that no, her son was dead. Having experienced it for himself Alfred's belief was that James had drowned in the mud.
In the Depression of the late 1920's Alfred's job as a wiredrawer disappeared, on hearing of a job in Yorkshire doing the same, he moved there. Once established he brought his wife and only child Joan to join him. He never spoke about his time in the War until there was a series called 'The Great War' aired on the B.B.C. in the 1960's, which had interviews with those who had served. Then he would ask Joan had she watched the programme, and would say that he had been in such and such a place mentioned in the programme. The very few snippets recorded here are all I know and came from my Mother, Joan. It was very strange to him to know that I was learning about the causes of the First World War for my O Levels when to him it was real and not history. He suffered occasional bouts of bronchitis throughout his life, which he attributed to getting a touch of gas in the War, finally dying in 1968 of bronchitis and emphysema. But as a lifelong smoker, gas may not be the whole reason for his illness. He was a gentleman, patient and never used ten words if two would suffice. He adored his wife and daughter for whom nothing was too much trouble. Despite occasional bronchitis, he was very strong physically and should have lived much longer than he did.
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