Service Number
4th/4274
Rank
Private.
Firstname
Arthur
Lastname
Crowhurst
Battalion
1/4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment
Notes

Attested 5 June 1915 at Central Recruiting Office City Hall Hull – Medal Index Card British War Medal and Victory Medal with 1/4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment – Re-numbered 201400 – On ‘D’ Coy 16th Platoon roll 1/4th Battalion 24 October 1916 Transport – D Coy Field State to Hospital 9 November 1916 – Alexander, Sutton and Wawne Street Hull Roll of Honour Hull Daily Mail 23 October 1916 – Commemorated East Yorkshire Regiment War Memorial Beverley Minster East Yorkshire – Commemorated Holy Trinity Hull Golden Book of Rememberence
WAR DIARY
23 April 1917
Lieutenant Lavarack joined Battalion from England.
At 4.30am-a quarter of an hour before zero hour – the Battalion were in position to advance behind our barrage and were on the line N.24.d.2.0 to N.24.d.0.7. Sheet 51b SW. There was a single trench and in it the first line was in position with the second line lying down close behind the parado. C Coy forming the third line were lying down 40 yards in rear of the centre. Companies were in the order from left to right ‘D’.’A’, ‘B’ and each of these Companies had two platoons in the first line and two in the second line. At 4.45am the barrage from 84 – 18 Pounder guns and 30 4.5inch Howitzers opened. Shells fell very short and at once we had serious casualties from them amongst Officers NCOs and men. The two flank Companies especially suffered, and it was not long before all Officers in these Companies were either killed or wounded. Enemy machine gun fire in the same time had begun to tell. The fact that these Companies early lost not only all their Officers but also nearly all their NCO leaders threw the Battalion into some confusion, and directions were not altogether kept. ‘A’ Coy pushed on unchecked to the vicinity of the first objective, and although their casualties were heavy they started to dig in about 100 yards east of the wood in O.19.d, where they had at first met with serious opposition. ‘D’ and ‘B’ Coys held on inclining rather towards the flanks of ‘A’ Coy and touch with the 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment who were themselves being checked by heavy machine gun fire was lost. A part of ‘B’ Coy managed to get to the first objective and proceeded to dig in about O.26.a. and b., facing South East. In the meantime a battery of 77mm guns were met with just South West of the wood in O.19.d and these were captured by men of ‘D’, ‘A’ and ‘B; Coys who had become somewhat intermixed. ‘C’ Coy coming up in close support also lost heavily. The Company Commander being wounded early in the advance and two subalterns. At this time the Battalion strength was about 3 Officers and 200 Other Ranks remaining in action. Neither the 30th Division on our right of the 15th Division on the left of the 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment had not made any progress, with result that our flank were in the air and entirely exposed to enemy counterattack. At about 7.0am the enemy launched a vigorous counterattack from the direction of Vis En Artois and also from Cherisy. The 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment on our left were pressed back losing very heavily and the Battalion was quickly surrounded. When the enemy reached his original front line trenches the Battalion had lost all its Company Officers and the Battalion Signalling Officer.
The total casualties in killed, wounded and missing were: – 17 Officers and 325 other ranks. Battalion Headquarters were withdrawn to Wancourt about midnight. Lieutenant Rollitt and the remnants of the Battalion remained in our original front line under orders of Commanding Officer 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and returned to N. 15.a. during the night by order of 150th Infantry Brigade.

Birthplace
Hull
Enlisted
Hull
Residence
Hull
How Died
Killed in Action
Memorial
Commemorated on bay 4 and 5 the Arras Memorial France.
Date Died
23 April 1917