Nov 30, 1896
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Born in Walsden, England to Charles and Rebecca
(nee Hickman) Crossley
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May 15, 1906
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Embarked the SS Lake Erie in Liverpool with his
mother, Rebecca, father Charles and 2 siblings, Henry and Edith
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May 25, 1906
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Disembarked in Montreal, Quebec and proceeded to
Cornwall, Ontario
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Mar 1, 1916
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Attested into the 154th Battalion in
Cornwall, Ontario
Ø Number 633616
Ø Next of kin given as C.A. Crossley, father, Cornwall, Ontario
Ø Previous occupation given as Printer
Ø No previous military experience given
Ø Religion given as Methodist
The following day, his father, Charles attested into the same battalion. His brother, Henry, had attested into the 74th
Battalion the previous August
The battalion trained in the Barriefield Camp,
Kingston
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Jun 13, 1916
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While on a pass to
Cornwall, Ontario he was admitted to the Cornwall Hospital with a diagnosis that reads
Measles
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Jun 24, 1916
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Discharged to duty from hospital
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Sep 15, 1916
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John’s brother, Henry, was killed in action while
serving with the 5th CMR (Canadian Mounted Rifles) on the Somme. He does not have a known grave and is honoured on
the Canadian National Vimy Ridge Memorial, Vimy Ridge, France
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Oct 25, 1916
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Embarked the SS Mauretania in Halifax, Nova Scotia
along with his father Charles
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Oct 31, 1916
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Disembarked in Liverpool, England and the
battalion proceeded to Bramshott to continue training
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Jan 31, 1917
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Transferred to the newly formed 6th
Reserve Battalion in East Sandling
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Apr 21, 1917
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Both John and his father Charles were posted to
the 21st Battalion
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Apr 22, 1917
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Arrived at the CBD (Canadian Base Depot) in the
Rouelles Camp, Havre, France as part of a draft of 3,000 reinforcements from England and
TOS (Taken On Strength) the 21st Battalion
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Apr 24, 1917
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Left the CBD to join the battalion with his son
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May 21, 1917
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Joined the 21st
Battalion with his father in the Support Trenches near Vimy Ridge, as part of a draft of
149 reinforcements and assigned to “C” Company
There is no
explanation as to why it took almost a full month to reach the battalion, however the CBD
War Diary makes note of over 2,000 men leaving the camp to join various battalions. It is possible that it took some time to reach
each battalion spread across the front to deliver the men.
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Nov 3, 1917
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On this date the 21st Battalion moved
into the front line in Passchendaele and almost immediately the Germans mounted an attack. John Crossley received severe shrapnel wounds to
his head and he was evacuated to the No. 1 CFA (Canadian Field Ambulance) for treatment
where he died the same day. His father became
ill and had left the battalion just 2½ weeks earlier.
Private John Crossley was buried in the
Vlamertinge New Military Cemetery, west of Ypres, Belgium.
Following the war the British War Medal, Victory
Medal and Memorial Cross were sent to his mother, Mrs. Rebecda Crossley, Box 1024
Cornwall, Ontario
The Plaque (Dead Man’s Penny) and Scroll
were sent to his father, Charles Crossley, at the same address
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The January 1935 issue of the Communiqué had
the following
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2010
For the 7 nights leading
up to November 11, 2010, the names of all Canadian soldiers who died during the war were
projected onto the Belgian War Memorial in Ypres. At
the same time, the same names were being broadcast via the internet to schools across
Belgium and Canada. The image above shows
the opening ceremonies at the Belgian War Memorial on November 4, 2010.
Below is the name
of John Crossley being projected on that wall
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