Harry Critchlow
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Harry was the son of Ellen Sarah Critchlow. Ellen Sarah was the daughter of Henry William Whitehead Critchlow and his wife Mary (née Bratt b. Staffordshire abt. 1864) who were married at Linby St Michael, Nottinghamshire, in May 1884. According to the information provided by Henry on the 1911 Census, they had nine children of whom only one survived. Six children, including Ellen the surviving child, have been traced from birth registrations: Ellen Sarah b. Newstead 1885 (J/F/M), George b. Newstead 1886 d. 1907, Hannah b. 1887 d. 1887, William Thomas b. 1889 d. 1890, Sarah Ann b. 1891 bap. Newstead Abbey Chapel 1891 d. 1891 (O/N/D) and Samuel b. 1893 bap. Newstead Abbey Chapel 1893. Samuel has not yet been traced on any civil records after 1893 but probably died in infancy. Henry Critchlow was born in Willenhall, Staffordshire, in 1861 (birth registered Whitehouse), the son of George and Ellen Critchlow (née Whitehouse) who were married at Willenhall St Ann's in 1864. The family was living in Staffordshire at the time of the 1871 and 1881 Census but moved to Nottinghamshire where they were recorded on the 1891 Census in Newstead where George was working as a coal miner. George probably died in 1897. In 1891 Henry, a coal miner, and his wife were also living in Newstead at 67 Colliery House, with their two surviving children Ellen (6) and George (4). However, by 1901 Henry Critchlow ('married') was living at 17 Park Street, Kirkby in Ashfield, with his widowed mother, Ellen (60), his son George, a pit bank boy, and daughter Ellen and her son Harry (1). Also in the household were three boarders, all coal miners. Henry's wife Mary has not yet been traced on civil records after 1891. Henry, his mother and grandson Harry were still living at the same address in 1911. His son George had probably married in 1906 but died the following year aged 21 (reg. A/M/J Basford). Henry continued to live at 17 Park Street until his death in December 1931. The probate record was in the name of William Henry Whitehurst Critchlow. Although the CWGC record gave his mother's name, Sarah Ellen Critchlow, resident Sutton in Ashfield, she has not been traced under that name on civil records after 1901 apart from a marriage registration (John Bonner Copeland) in 1901 (AMJ). There were four children, (Copeland/Critchlow) John 1902, Mary Ellen 1904, George 1908 d. 1908 JAS, Irene 1910. In 1911 they were living at 32 Sherwood Street, Kirkby in Ashfield. John snr. d. 1922. Ellen may have married Alfred Williams 1924 and had two sons, Jeffery and Alfred Donald. Ellen died in 1929. In 1939 Alfred, his sons and Irene Playfoot (b. 1910 née Copeland m. 1933), husband and daughter were living in same household in Ollerton Notts.
Harry Critchlow joined the Royal Navy as an ordinary seaman on 21 June 1917 on a 'Hostilities only'engagement'. He served at home (Victory I) until 31 December 1917 and one 1 January 1918 was drafted to Europa I, joining HMS Louvain. His service record was annotated: 'NP 848/18. DD [discharged dead] 20 January 1918 when HMS Louvain was sunk.’ Harry's body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. He qualified for the British War Medal and Victory Medal. HMS Louvain, formerly SS Dresden, operated by the Great Eastern Railway Company (Harwich-Antwerp service), was built as a passenger ship by Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd, Hull, in 1897. She was transferred to the Admiralty as an armed boarding steamer, renamed 'Louvain' and used as troop transport. HMS Louvain sailed from Portsmouth on 1 January 1918, the day Sidney was drafted to Louvain, bound for Mudros via Malta. In addition to the ship's company there were officers and ratings who were joining other ships in the Mediterranean. HMS Louvain left Malta on 18 January with an escort until she transitted the Corinth Canal independently after which she was met and escorted by HMS Colne, a motor torpedo boat. Louvain was sunk by torpedo in the Aegean Sea on 20 January 1918 by German submarine UC-22 (Oberleutnant zur See Carle Bunte) whichlaid a minefield across the formation's path before firing two torpedoes. HMS Colne was not hit in the attack and fired depth charges before returning to the last sighted position of Louvain, which had now sunk, to rescue survivors. There were over 200 casualties including the captain, officer of the watch and over 70 Maltese ratings of whom more than 20 were ship's company. UC-22 escaped and in the next few months Bunte sank two more ships before leaving his command; he survived the war. In total, 24 ships were sunk and three damaged by UC-22 between September 1916 and August 1918.
Also lost in HMS Louvain: J/36502 Able Seaman Walter Wright of Nottingham and J/34813 Able Seaman Sidney Edward Timms of Brighton, employed by Boots Company (Retail). (See records on this Roll of Honour) WW1 Pension Ledgers Index Card: named his grandfather, William Henry Critchlow, resident Kirkby in Ashfield WW1 Naval Casualties: his mother Ellen (no surname given) of 47 Huthwaite Road, Sutton in Ashfield, was the relative notified of Harry's death CWGC: 'Son of Ellen S. Critchlow, of 47, Huthwaite Rd., Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts.'
