CROSSINGHAM, William Arthur
| Service Number: | 2540 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Oxley Island, New South Wales, Australia, 9 February 1885 |
| Home Town: | Bellingen, Bellingen, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Pneumonia, United Kingdom, 22 February 1917, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, England, United Kingdom XI F 3 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, South West Rocks Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2540, 33rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2540, 33rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Napier embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 17 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2540, 33rd Infantry Battalion, SS Napier, Sydney |
Help us honour William Arthur Crossingham's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Graham Prior
A Memorial Tablet was placed under a Norfolk Island Pine in Sturt St, South West Rocks. In 1927 Sturt St was renamed Memorial Avenue and rededicated.
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Private William Arthur Crossingham and his younger brothers - Leonard Sydney Crossingham and George Henry Crossingham all enlisted together in the 33rd Battalion and embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on 17 November, 1916. They disembarked at Devonport, England on 29 January 1917 and within a week William was admitted directly to King George Hospital, London, seriously ill with pneumonia.
William died of pneumonia at 9.50 am on 22 February 1917 at the Hospital and was buried a few days later in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey. His two brothers and an aunt were present at a full military funeral.
His younger brother, 2542 Pte. George Henry Crossingham M.M. 33rd Battalion AIF was later decorated for bravery and died of wounds on 5 April 1918, aged 26. The third brother, 2539 Pte Leonard Sydney Crossingham 33rd Battalion AIF was returned to Australia, 12 June 1919, after being severely wounded on three separate occasions.
They were the sons of Richard William John and Amelia Crossingham, of Pelican Island, Macleay River, New South Wales. It seems that their father was a light house keeper at South Solitary Island near Coffs Harbour, NSW, for almost 10 years, many of his children having been born there. The mother, Amelia, passed away in late 1918, her illness apparently much aggravated by grief for her sons.
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