Private William Henry Crawshaw
203824 2/4th East Lancashire Regiment
Killed in Action 10th October 1917
Lived at 64 Queen Victoria Road
Commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium
Commemorated on the Hanover Chapel Memorial
Commemorated on the Burnley Butchers Association Memorial
Burnley Express 10th November 1917 - 3rd August 1918

Well Known Butcher Missing (Burnley Express 10th November 1917)
A fortnight ago a report gained currency in Burnley Lane that Pte. William Henry Crawshaw of the East Lancashire Regiment, a well known butcher was wounded, and missing and the fact that a letter from Mrs Crawshaw to her husband had been returned , and that she had not heard of him, though he was a regular correspondent, since October 8, when he sent a field card lent colour to the report. On Wednesday, however, all doubt on the matter was set at rest, a communication - the first received – from the Record Office at Preston, stating that Pte. Crawshaw (30390) was posted missing from October 10th last.
He had been out exactly eight weeks on the day the news came to hand, and was 33 years of age the same day. Previous to being called up he was employed as butcher at the Brennand Street branch of the Burnley Co-operative Society. For a time he had a business of his own in Queen Victoria Road, but closed the shop when so many butchers were compelled to adopt that course in the early part of the war. Previously he had been employed by Mr G. Illingworth, while before that he had been with the Co-op at Williams Road.
Mrs Crawshaw, has three brothers serving; Pte. Wilfred Wilson, MGC 2nd Australian Division, who had been in the colony for seven years when he enlisted, and is now in hospital in Norwich suffering with sever wounds in the body and right hand and left arm; Pte. Abraham Wilson, in the king’s Liverpool Regiment who has been wounded in the back by shellfire in France, and approaching convalescent, is expected home on leave shortly, and Pte. Amos Wilson, who has been three years in the Motor Transport and has been two years in France.”

Burnley Lane Butcher Reported Dead (Burnley Express 3rd April 1918)

Mrs Crawshaw of 64 Queen Victoria road, who has not heard from her husband Pte. Wm Crawshaw 2/4 East Lancashire Regt. Since October 8th when he sent a field card, has just received a notification stating that he died on October 10th or since. He was cllaed up on April 20 1917, and went out in September. He was only three weeks in France, and had only been connected with the 2/4 East Lancashires (203824), to which he had been transferred one week when he was posted missing. He would have been 33 years of age on November 7th had he lived….. He was connected with Hanover Chapel and was widely known and respected.

Of Mrs Crawshaws brothers Wilfrid having been discharged is now back in Australia .Abraham rejoined his regiment in March and was taken prisoner on April 9th last. A brother in law, Tom Radcliffe, attached to the Royal Engineers, is now in Bermuda in the West Indies.”

Ethel & Sarah (Right)

Today I was browsing the site and thought I would look up any refernce to my uncle "William Crawshaw" who was married to my aunt Sarah (Sally) nee Wilson.
I remember my father telling me that "Sally" married "William" just before he was posted to France. Like many widows of that time she never remarried and lived for most of the rest of her life with her sister "Ethel" and her husband "Thomas Radcliffe" who is listed in your section on men who fought and survived etc.

(Courtesy of Stewart Wilson)