In Le Grand Hasard Military Cemetery, Morbecque is the Commonwealth War Grave of 1843, 295042 Private Jonathon Curtis Crabtree, serving with the  1/7th Durham Light Infantry who died 13/04/1918.

Jonathon Curtis Crabtree was born on the 1st July 1891, at Ellison’s Buildings, Low Fell, Lamesley. Second son of Thomas and Isabella (nee Greenwell). He was one of a large family of thirteen siblings. Thomas and Isabella were married in 1888.

The complete family was comprised of Mary Louisa Crabtree, born 1890, Thomas Greenwell Crabtree, born 1891, George Allison Crabtree, born 1st July 1891, Elizabeth Hunter Crabtree, born 1893, Alice Millicent Crabtree, born 29th December 1893, baptised 28th January 1894, Lily Isabell Crabtree, born December 1898, [she married an Edward Young in 1912], Jane Crabtree, born March 1901, Joseph Nicholas Crabtree, born December 1904. Margaret Ann Crabtree, born November 1905, Barbara Hannah Crabtree, born 9th March 1908, Sidney Crabtree,born 6th July 1909 and Annie Crabtree, born January 1913. By 1905 the family had moved from Chester le Street to Low Fell in Gateshead. Two of his brothers served in WW1.

In the 1911 Census the family could be found living in 5 rooms at 3a Belle Vue Bank and John (known as Jack) was a hewer in the coal mine. Prior to this date, their address was at 6, Jubilee Terrace, Chester le Street, Durham.

Jonathan was a member of the Wesleyan Church at Low Fell.

Jack enlisted at Birtley and, according to his medal roll, served with both the 1/5th and 1/7th Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry. His service number was 1843, re-numbered 295042. (In early 1917 all men then serving with TF units were given new six digit numbers). He landed in France on the 20th April 1915.

Both the 1/5th and 1/7th Battalions of the Durham Light Infantry were territorial units.

“The 1/5th Battalion (based at Stockton on Tees) was part of the York & Durham Brigade, Northumbrian Division and were at their annual summer camp when war broke out. They were recalled to their home base before moving to Hartlepool, Ravensworth Park and Newcastle and landed in Boulogne, France, on the 18th April 1915″.

The 1/7th Battalion Durham Light Infantry (part of DLI Brigade, Northumbrian Division) were based in Sunderland, and were also at annual summer camp when war broke. Moved to coastal defences, they then also proceeded to Ravensworth Park and Newcastle. The transport section left for France on the 17th April 1915, and the rest of the battalion left for Boulogne to join them on the 19th April.

On the 14th May 1915 the Durham Light Infantry Brigade was re-designated as the 151st Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division, and the 1/7th battalion then left the Brigade on the 16th November 1915 converting into a Pioneer Battalion for the same Division. The 1/7th Battalion saw action in The Battle of St. Julien, The Battle of Frezenberg Ridge and The Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge. In 1916 they fought at The Somme at The Battle of Flers-Courcelette, The Battle of Morval and The Battle of the Transloy Ridges. In 1917 they fought at Arras at The First Battle of the Scarpe, The Capture of Wancourt Ridge and The Second Battle of the Scarpe and then moved north to fight in the Third Battle of Ypres. In 1918 they fought on the Somme in the Battles of The Lys and the Third Battle of the Aisne.”

The Battle of the Lys is also known as the Lys Offensive, the Fourth Battle of Ypres or the Third Battle of Flanders and was from the 9th to the 29th April 1918, part of the German Spring Offensive. It comprised of a number of phases including the Battle of Estaires (9-11 April) and the Battle of Hazebrouck (12-15 April) both involving the 50th Northumbrian Division.

By the 11th of April the Germans were within five miles of Hazebrouck. Field-Marshall Haig knew he was facing a crisis, and issued his famous backs to the wall order: There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man; there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end”.

Marshal Foch sent the requested reinforcements-although initially reluctant to do so-and the attack had started to stall by April 29th. Both sides had suffered heavy losses.

The war diary for the 1/7th Battalion Durham Light Infantry over this period places them at Robermetz on the 7th April 1918. On the 9th April an enemy offensive commenced in the morning and Merville and Estaires were heavily bombarded. Both ‘B’ and ‘C’ Company were engaged cleaning the debris from the roads there. On the 10th April, ‘A’ Company proceeded to reinforce the 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry in front of Lestrem and the remainder of the Battalion stood to arms.

The 11th April saw ‘C’ Company digging a line of posts on either side of the main Neuf Berquin-Estaires Road while ‘B’ Company performed the same task in front of Merville. As the day progressed the enemy pushed on and towards nightfall the line fell back N.W. of Neuf Berquin. On the 12th April the Division was relieved by the 5th Division and the Battalion collected at La Motte and occupied the outhouses of the Chateau. The next day the Chateau was heavily shelled for quarter of an hour and several men were killed and wounded. The Battalion withdrew to billets.

From the 14th to 17th April the Battalion were engaged in digging and wiring lines, and were inspected on the 20th April by Divisional General Major General H. C. Jackson D.S.O. He thanked all ranks for the work they had done during the last two battles and said how proud he was to have such a Pioneer Battalion in his Division.

Jack was 26 years old when he was killed on the 13th April 1918. He was engaged to be married to May.

The Newcastle Evening Chronicle Saturday 04/05/1918 reports:-
CRABTREE Killed in action, April 13th 1918, aged 27 years, Pte. Jack Crabtree, D.L.I., second son of Thomas and Isabella Crabtree, 3A Belle Vue Bank, Low Fell. He left his home in the flower of youth, he seemed so strong and brave; the hand we clasped when saying goodbye, lies now in a soldiers grave. Deeply mourned by his beloved father and mother, brothers and sisters, brothers in law and fiance May.

Acknowledgments: Jean Atkinson; The British Newspaper Archive; The Western Front Association;

Jonathon Curtis Crabtree is remembered at Low Fell on L61.02,  L61.03 and L61.05, on the 7th D.L.I. Roll of Honour  and in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page  82.