Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Bancourt British Cemetery | I. J. 1. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.120 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 47D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross | ||
Family :
Crozier was born in Banbridge, Co.Down in 1883, he was the son of Thomas and Marian Crozier. His father was the postmaster in Banbridge. At some point, Walsh and his parents Thomas Alexander and his parents moved to London and took up residence at 45, Glebe Road in Surrey.Education & Career :
He was for many years an assistant in Foster’s Ltd., Newry. He took great interest in Sport, and was a member of Newry Rowing Club, being one of the crew (eight) which rowed against the Germans at the Cork Internationa Regatta in 1902, while the following year he was also a member of the crew rowing at Henley against Thames and Dublin University.
During his stay with the club he was a most popular and successful oarsman. On coming to London he joined the Vesta Rowing Club and took part in many contests, winning numerous valuable prizes.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 11/The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) |
11th (Service) Battalion (Lambeth) Formed at Lambeth on 16 June 1915 by the Mayor and Borough of Lambeth. June 1915 : attached to 123rd Brigade, 41st Division. |
| Action : The First Battles of the Somme 1918 and associated actions |
21 March - 4 July 1918. The Battles of the Somme in 1918 were mostly concerned with stemming the German advance which started in March 1918 and which made considerable gains in the Somme/Arras sector. Utilising surplus troops which had become available following the surrender of Russia after the October Revolution, the Germans gambled on a massive campaign that could win the war in the west before the USA could bring its resources to bear. Initial gains were in places spectacular but eventually dogged resistance coupled with supply problems and sheer exhaustion closed down the battle. Other attacks were launched along the front to probe the Allied defences but the same pattern of initial gains followed by stalemate prevailed. British casualties were almost 345,000.
Thomas served from 1914 to 5th February 1916 with the London Scottish, twice being wounded. He was then subsequently commissioned from 4th August 1916 as a Second Lieutenant in the Queen’s Own Royal West Surrey Regiment and promoted to Lieutenant. It was after he was commissioned he was awarded the Military Cross in 1917 for gallantry on the battlefield. He then served with the 11th Battalion, the Queens’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) in Italy before they were returned to France in March 1918.
Detail :
Thomas was killed in action on 23rd March 1918 aged 35. His younger brother Wesley Johnston Crozier had died of wounds earlier in the war on 29th September 1915, whilst serving with the 3 County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters) in the Dardanelles.
The newspaper gives details of his career in the army and of how he won the Military Cross in Italy in 1917. On 23 March 1918, he was shot through the left lung and died before the stretcher bearers could get him to a doctor. The obituary reports: ‘They found a little hollow in the ground and put him in, and used an old spade they found to cover him.’
His body was later retrieved and buried in Bancourt British Cemetery. Bancourt was occupied by Commonwealth forces in March 1917. It was lost a year later during the German offensive in the spring of 1918, but recaptured by the New Zealand Division on 30 August 1918. The Commonwealth War Graves records make sad reading. Initially his body could not be identified and they recorded him as “UNKNOWN 2/Lt. Mc & Mons ribbons 1 red and 2 blue chevrons [sic]” and “Queens R.W. Surrey Regt. on buttons”. After six months in the ground in an unmarked grave he was exhumed and reburied. Presumably, because of his rank, MC and buttons, he was later identified and the typed CWGC records amended in manuscript to read “Lieutenant T. A. Crozier MC.”
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Ulster No. 2972 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
17th November 1911 | 17th November 1911 | 17th November 1911 |
Joining member of the Ulster Lodge having joined from the Irish Constitution on 17th February 1911
He Joined Lodge 77 in 1904 and then moved to London, transferring to Ulster Lodge London No. 2972 in 1911.
A letter was read from Thomas in open Lodge on the 7th February 1916 but unfortunately no content of this letter was recorded in the minutes.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley