220998 Pte. William Allen Craven British Army 18th (Bradford Pals) Btn. West Yorkshire Regiment from:Thackley (d.1st July 1916) As a family having a history of living in Thackley for 150 years, and myself having an interest in genealogy and local history, along with military history, I would like to portray a personal and hopefully touching story about my Great Uncle, William Allen Craven, brother of my maternal grandmother.
One can only speculate how life was for most families in the mid to late 1800’s, as was the case with the Cravens, they were heavily committed to working in the woolen industry of Bradford, and moving around from rented property to rented property as their family grew in size. In fact the head of the family, James Arthur Craven, would move several times, all in Thackley, to better conditions and slightly larger properties as needs must.
In May 1894 my great uncle entered the world and would eventually be part of a family of 6 however, his youngest brother would die at the age of 11 months named after his father. By the time William was 17 he became a Wollen O Junner as recorded in the 1911 census by the registrar. As war loomed the campaign to recruit young men from the towns of Northern England became very prominent.
William joined the 18th Bradford Pals, number 18/1667 part of The Prince of Wales (West Yorkshire) Regiment. He would leave for the final time from 79 Park Road, Thackley, saying his farewells to his family and girlfriend Florrie thinking he would return in a short while. They were marched to Ripon in May 1915 from Bradford, then transferring to Fovant in Wiltshire to be issued with tropical kit before eventually sailing to Egypt for further training.
They would return aboard the S.S. Minneapolis, disembarking in Marseilles on March 6th 1916, where they marched from the docks to railway sidings, for a train journey by ramshackle wagons at a leisurely pace in extreme cold weather, to Pont Remy railhead near Abbeville on the 9th March 1916. The 18th Battalion and William would march to Citerne where he would remain for two weeks for further training. One can only imagine the contrast to the hot climate of Egypt to the freezing cold and snow as they arrived, having covered 12 miles a day sleeping rough at night in filthy barns.
On March 25th they marched off towards Beaumont Hamel area, where they got near the western front with all its loud detonations and glaring flashes in the dark. On arrival beginning of April at Bus-les- Artois they were assigned billets. It is said the rolling plains of Picardy reminded many of the ‘Pals’ of Yorkshire. Eventually the 18th occupied a sector on the Serre Road, which is where my story commences.
So my journey commenced Easter 2013, in the company Smart Car via the channel tunnel train to arrive for our 3 night stay at Amiens using this as our base. The following very cold day we travelled to Albert and visited the museum, not to be missed, and eventually made our way onto Serre Road after visiting Hebuterne where a plaque remembers the Bradford Pals. It was here that we saw two coaches parked outside the main cemetery along with teachers and school children. I walked up the track where in the distance are Mathew, Mark, Luke & John copses along with small immaculately kept walled lined graves, set out to remember the fallen, some named and some unknown. It was here somewhere my great uncle fell after 7.30am on the 1st July 1916 in the Battle of the Somme, that a strange yet poignant event happened to me.
I had visited Railway Hollow and the memorial to the Accrington Pals and was walking back with Linda, when we saw walking towards us, a party of adults and children. My ears pricked up to the sound of a teacher who asked “Are you Martin Lonsdale?†To say I was surprised that I would be asked this in the middle of a ploughed field right in the middle of No-Mans land after 97 years from the start of The Battle of the Somme, seemed incredulous. It was followed up by “Yes I am†to which another lady teacher said we saw the car and we are all from Woodhouse Grove School, and I live in Idle. We wished them well and were glad to have met them. Now I know this would not have happened if it was not for the Smart Car with my company name and logo, but was it not a moment when some time in life events take a turn for a reason. Could it have been that William was walking the very same path those 97 years ago and had seen a pal and shouted out “Hello mateâ€, the mind can run away with you thinking about it. I would like to think it was a connection, however, I am Yorkshire bred and accept it was a fate of coincidences.
William was never found his body presumably blown up or he disappeared in the mud after being mowed down by German machine guns, we will never know. The final part of the journey took me to Thiepval Memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens where his name is one of over 72,000 soldiers never to have had a known grave. Records showed that around half of the 150,000 British dead killed on the Somme in 1916 had no known grave. Should you ever go see this stunning Memorial, Pier and Face 2A, 2C and 2D his name is there, say hello to my Great Uncle and thank him and the rest of the fallen for their sacrifice.
I have re-produced one of the last letters he wrote on the 15th June 1916 to my grandmother who was 11 years old.
"Dear Sister,
Just a few lines to let you know I am quite well and in the best of health trusting you are the same. I am very pleased indeed that you are writing to me, also keeping very friendly with Florrie while I am away.
Mother wrote and told me that you had got a bicycle of your own now, so I guess you will see life a bit.
Well I hope you are a good girl and helping mother all you can, because it is very hard for her now that Ernest and I are away from home. I trust that you will do all you can to comfort father and mother, until the struggle ends.
I have got lots of stories to tell you when I see you again about the Germans. How is Ada getting along and has she got a bike also? I really ought to write her.
Give my best love to Percy tell him I will write later.
With best Love from your affectionate brother Allen xxxxx"
Later in life my grandmother was moved to Thackley Grange in 1987 suffering from dementia. The family all went to see her very shortly after my father had passed away who was called Allan Craven Lonsdale. Her eldest son my uncle, had not told her my father had passed away. As we were all around her bed, she said “Where is Allan†no one knew what to say for a second or two, but it was a request for her brother Allen her mind had regressed in time with her illness. A moment that will be with me for ever.
As a tribute on the 4th August this year, Robin Gamble of Idle Church arranged a day of remembrance. The Tenor bell commenced ringing from 8.00pm for each fallen soldier from our district. I heard it from my house and went along to the vigil at 9.00pm in tribute to the memory of a lost generation of young men, William Allen Cravens name was read out as one of the fallen.
Should you be passing 79 Park Road, have a think about my great uncle you might even live there. As for his other brother Ernest who also went to war, his story tells the tale of someone with a different outcome one of mystique and fear.
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