Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery | VII. J. 1. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.120 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 50B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Husband of Maud Gibbons Crocker, of Bercen, 742, London Rd., Leigh-on-Sea.Leiutenant (Acting Captain) Crocker lived in London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, with his wife and two children. He was the only son of Mrs Hatcher, and was born at Bristol, coming to Southend early in his life where he opened a business in London Road. He was a keen lover of football and played for the Southend Amateurs for several years as a goalkeeper. He was a Freemason and member of C Company, 4th Volunteer Battalion, Essex Regiment.
Education & Career :
Art Decorator, Southend (1913).
Listed in the University of London records as CROCKER, 2nd Lt. Percival James Wilberforce, R.W. Kent R. : City and Guilds College. Mesopotamia to Nov 18.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2nd Battalion Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) |
| Action : Mesopotamia |
At the outbreak of war the British, together with Indian troops, resolved to protect oil supply in the region by occupying the area around Basra at Abadan. This evolved into a series of campaigns towards Baghdad against the Turkish forces as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of the Ottoman Empire. Meetings in late 1914 and into 1915 led the Viceroy and Indian government at Simla to reconsider the limited involvement of troops and they decided to order further advances with a view to securing the Shatt-al-Hai, a canal connecting the Tigris and Euphrates river and potentially capturing Baghdad. The British government disagreed and wished to conserve forces for the Western front. The Viceroy was given permission to act as it wished, but told in no uncertain terms that no reinforcements should be expected.
The initial success experienced by the British and Indian forces quickly disintegrated in the face of Ottoman opposition. The Siege of Kut-Al-Amara began on 7th December with the besieging of an 8,000 strong British-Indian garrison in the town of Kut, 100 miles south of Baghdad, by the Ottoman Army. These campaigns produced few tactical benefits, indeed the catastrophic defeat at Kut in 1916 was a major setback. Badhdad was eventually taken in March 1917.
The conditions in Mesopotamia were dreadful. The climate, sickness and disease produced large losses in addition to battle casualties. About as many men died of disease as were killed in action. The Mesopotamia front was part of a strategy hoping for success at lower cost than the Western Front but no decisive victory was achieved.
Detail :
Died at Baghdad 16th November 1918.
Chelmsford Chronicle 29 November 1918 "Lt. (acting Capt.) Percival James W. Crocker, R. West Kent R., died in Mesopotamia of smallpox, was a builder at Southend, goalkeeper for several years for the Southend Amateurs, and a Freemason."
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Canute No. 3104 E.C. | Essex |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th May 1913 | 19th September 1913 | 13th January 1914 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley