Pte 38487 Edward Crebbin

In 1901 the family is living in Promenade Road, with four children. His father, Edward, is aged 44, and is listed as a mariner, his mother, Annie, 41, runs a lodging house. The children are recorded as;  Thomas aged 11, Margaret and Elsie are 9 and Edward is 5.

His sister Margaret died in January 1902, at the age of 10.  

 

Some time after that the family moved to England and lived in the London area, where they are found in 1911 at 35 Pepys Road, New Cross, Deptford. His mother, 51, is head of household, and is a boarding house keeper. Thomas, 21, is a draper’s assistant, Elsie, 19, has no occupation, and Edward is 15, at school. Her husband Edward, is aged 54, and is on the crew list of the “SS Glenmay” moored at Garston Docks, Liverpool. 

 

In May 1911 his brother Thomas emigrated to the U.S., destination Silver Bow County, Montana, one of the most productive mining areas in the U.S., producing copper, gold, and silver, and many others. He settled in Butte, Montana, “one of the great copper camps of the world” working as a miner (ore).

 

His sister Elsie appears to have remained in London, or returned there, where she died in 1963.

 

His parents returned to the Isle of Man at some point. The family home at 2 Bay View, Spaldrick, Port Erin, with two living rooms and 4 bedrooms was advertised to let, furnished, in September 1915 (Spaldrick is a beach to the north of the town).

Eddie enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 38487.

Formed in November 1914 the 20th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain.   

Eddie was killed in action on the 22nd October 1916, aged 21, during the Battle of the Transloy Ridges which was part of the ongoing Somme Offensive.

He was killed by a shell that also killed his friends Pte 36883 William Joseph Cowin. and Pte 26885 James Alfred Shimmin.

20th Battalion War Diary 

GUEUDECOURT.

21.10.16 - Digging new trench.

22.10.16 - Completed trench by 4 a.m., was labelled SALMON TRENCH and handed over on relief. 

2nd Lt Maddick was relieved in front line by 2nd Lt Worsley and evacuated sick. Heavy artillery very active, continuous barrage was put on our front line and support trenches. Considerable aircraft activity on both sides during the day. In accordance with 89th Inf. Bde. O.O. No. 62 the Battn. was relieved by the 29th Australian Infantry at 10 30 p.m. the Battalion moving to bivouacs near MAMETZ WOOD arriving about 4 30 a.m. and on 23rd. 

Edward has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, France.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01^st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

 

 

King’s (Liverpool Regiment) - Campbell, 25722, A.; Cowin, 36883, W. J. (Isle of Man); Crebbin, 38487, E.; (Isle of Man); Dutton, 22677, A. (Runcorn); Jones, 17197, Coy. Sergt.-Major T. L.; Leyland, 16381, Lce.-Cpl W.; Molyneux, 22782, Sgt. E.; Moulton, 22181, Coy. Sergt.-Major R. W.; Nickson, 23127, C. H. (Runcorn); Richardson, 22820, S.; Roberts, 22821, E. (Seacombe); Shimmin, 36885, J. A. C. (Isle of Man); Skelland, 18184, T,; Webber, 23856, S. J. (Bootle); Williams, 37905, W.; Woods, 32259, J.; 

Private Crebbin served his time as a joiner with Messrs. John Keggin and Richard Costain. He joined the Army in April last, and was drafted to France in July.  He was 21 years of age. The heartfelt sympathy of many friends goes out to Mr. and Mrs. Crebbin in their sad bereavement.”

 

From letters received from Pals in France, it would appear that four boys were killed by the same shell, viz., Privates Karran, Shimmin, Cowan, and Crebbin, and were buried, under heavy shell fire, by their comrades, as this extract from a letter details -

The grave of Eddie and his comrades was subsequently lost in the two years of fighting on the Somme.

 

On the first anniversary of his death, in the  Isle of Man Examiner:

“In sad but loving memory of Edward Crebbin (Eddie), son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Crebbin, Spaldrick, Port Erin, who was killed in action October 22nd, 1916.  His duty nobly done.  Fondly remembered by all at “Beachfield”, Port Erin.”

Eddie earned his two medals.

His Army effects, Army pay of £2 9s 3d and a War Gratuity of £3 went to his father Edward. The pension card, in the name of his mother, Anne Elizabeth Crebbin, at 2 Bay View, Spaldrick, Port Erin, shows that she was awarded a pension of 6/- a week from July 1917.  After her death in 1933 it most probably went to his sister Elsie, 8 Anson Road, Cricklewood, N.W. London.  

His brother Thomas, living in Butte, Montana, occupation miner, registered for the draft in May 1917 after the U.S. entered the war. Obviously wanting to do his bit, but not having been called up, he crossed the border to Calgary, Alberta, and enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 28th February 1918. He arrived in Glasgow on 03/4/1918,  proceeded overseas on 3/9/1918 and served in France as a Gunner with the Canadian Field Artillery. He returned to the U.K. on 16/01/1919 and embarked for Canada on 29/3/1919. He was discharged in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 13/4/1919.  He returned to Butte and worked as a copper miner.

 

His father Edward served at sea during the war and received the Mercantile Marine medal and ribbon, and the British medal ribbon. He died, aged 64, on the 08th August 1920 in Port Erin.

 

His death was reported in the Isle of Man Examiner on Saturday, August 14, 1920:

 

 

His mother died, aged 74, on the 24th October 1933 in Port Erin.

 

Her death was reported in the Mona's Herald on Tuesday October 31st 1933:

 

 

 

Eddie is commemorated on the Rushen Parish Memorial Tablet