WW1 Arthur Frederick Livingstone Crowhurst (24/99)

Arthur Crowhurst was born on 20 May 1894, to Samuel George and Catherine Crowhurst, 24 Eden Street in Newmarket, Auckland. He was one of five sons who served in WW1, three of whom died.

They were Arthur Frederick Livingstone Crowhurst (24/99) died; Francis Ernest Crowhurst (60080) killed in action, and Samuel Alfred Crowhurst (12/1933) killed in action, and two other brothers fought and returned to New Zealand Leslie Upton Clifford Crowhurst (60081), Victor Roy Crowhurst (12/1934).

He was an express driver at the Head Office in Khyber Pass with Hutchinson Brothers, a department store employing a total of about 90 staff at that time throughout their Auckland stores in Customs Street, Queen Street and Khyber Pass. He also served with the Territorials in ASC number 5 Company, in Auckland and He enlisted as a Private in the Rifle Brigade in the Earl of Liverpool’s Own Regiment on 29 May 1915, and was described as 5ft 7 1/4 inches tall, medium complexion, with brown hair and brown eyes.

He contracted illness where he was training with the New Zealand Training Unit at Trentham situated about 30 KMs north of Wellington. The very large site housed the trainees in tents, which eventually became permanent buildings and a small self-contained town. There was a hospital, where there were wards, offices and duty rooms specially set aside for infectious diseases such as cerebro-spinal fever and another for measles. Arthur was diagnosed with cerebral spinal meningitis and was transferred to Wellington Public Hospital where he died on 8 August 1915. He was 20 years of age.

A military funeral was held at St Mark’s Church, Remuera. The N Z Herald described it as:

“Over 100 members of No. 1 Company, Auckland, Army Service Corps, under Captain Q. R. Hutchison and Lieutenant S. Mellows, a firing party from the 3rd, Auckland, Regiment, under Lieutenant H. P. Caughey, the No. 1 Garrison Artillery Rand, and the Newmarket branch of the National Reserve, under Captain A. E. Eagleton, took part in the ceremony. Captain W. H.Feldon, brigade major, Auckland Infantry Brigade, and Mr. J.McColl. Mayor of Newmarket, were present. The funeral left the home of the late soldier, No. 4. Roxburgh Street, Newmarket, the band playing “The Dead March” in Saul. At one point the children from the Newmarket school stood bare-headed as the funeral passed on its way to St. Mark’s Cemetery, Remuera. A brief service was conducted at St. Mark’s Church by the Rev. W. Beatty, and this was followed by an impressive graveside service. Private Crowhurst was the eighth son of Mr. and Mrs. S. G. Crowhurst, and was 20 years of age.”

Arthur is buried in St Mark’s Churchyard (Anglican), 95 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. He is also remembered on:

• Newmarket War Memorial, Olympic Park, Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand

• The Borough of Newmarket War Memorial, Auckland Council Archives