Current Information:

Age-31

Born-Hillingdon

Cambrin Churchyard, France

Originally part of 19 Brigade, 1st Middlesex joined 98 Brigade of 33rd Division in November 1915. For the first half of 1916, 33rd Division were holding the line around Loos and La Bassée in northern France before heading south to the Somme. On 10th June, 1916, 1st Middlesex left their billets in Bethune and went into the trenches at Cuinchy where they remained for a week. The Battalion Diary recorded that this was a very quiet time in these particular trenches but even so, there were casualties and one of them was William Cripps who was killed in action on 17th June, 1916. This warranted no mention in the Battalion Diary but when not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.