Dorothea Mary Lynette Crewdson
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Dorothea was the younger daughter of Henry and Margaret Croom Crewdson. Her father was born in Kendal, Westmoreland, on 13 October 1852 and her mother was born in Glasgow on 26 October 1858. Henry and Margaret had three children: Jean Eleanor b. 1884 (J/A/S Barton Regis Gloucestershire), Dorothea Mary Lynette b. 1886 (J/A/S Barton Regis) and Henry Alastair Fergusson (k/a Alastair) b. Scotland 31 December 1897. In 1901 Henry (48), a solicitor (employer) and Margaret (42) were living at 25 Lenton Avenue, Lenton, Nottingham, with two of their children, Dorothea (14) and Henry AF (3). The eldest child, Jean (16), was a pupil at a boarding school in Wandswoth, London. Henry employed four domestic servants, a nurse (domestic), parlour maid, housemaid and cook. Jean Eleanor married Gilbert Howard on 30 June 1908: Nottingham Evening Post, 30 June 1908 (extract): ‘Nottingham Wedding. Mr G Howard-Miss JE Crewdson. Considerable interest was evinced locally in the wedding between Mr Gilbert Howard, son of Mr Joseph Howard JP, of 19, Kensington-court, London, and Miss Jean Eleanor Crewdson, daughter of Mr and Mrs Henry Crewdson of Holme Dale, The Park, Nottingham, which was solemnised in Lenton Parish Church this afternoon. In 1911 Jean and Gilbert, a solicitor, were living at 26 Warwick Gardens, Earls Court, Kensington, with their infant son, Henry Michael. A second son, Gilbert Alexander Fergusson, was born on 7 January 1913. Henry and Margaret were living at 25 Lenton Avenue in 1911 but neither Dorothea nor Henry were in the home on the night of the census nor have they yet been traced on the census. Dorothea's brother, Henry, served in the Coldstream Guards during the war and was wounded while serving in France: Nottingham Evening Post, 27 September 1917: ‘The Roll of Honour. Wounded. Lieut. HAF Crewdson. Second-Lieut. H Alastair F Crewdson, Coldstream Guards, who has been reported wounded in action, is the only son of Mr Henry Crewdson of 25, Lenton-avenue, The Park, Nottingham, a well-known solicitor, and the first military representative to be appointed in the city to co-operate with the local tribunal. Lieut. Crewdson, who is only 19 years of age, was educated at Harrow, and obtained his commission in September of last year after a course of training with the Harrow OTC. He proceeded to the front in May, and is now in hospital in France, making satisfactory progress.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Henry commanded the 1/8th Bn Sherwood Foresters before the Second World War and in July 1939 was gazetted a brigadier. He saw service in France during the war. Dorothea's father died in Algeciras, Spain, on 11 April 1924 and her mother in Nottingham on 4 March 1926. Of Dorothea's siblings: Jean Eleanor died on 17 August 1959, her husband predeceased her (1 March 1936). She was then living at 1 Kensington Park Gardens, Kensington. Henry Alastair Fergusson, a solicitor, married (1) Caroline Mary Inge (b. 6 December 1905, bap. 7 January 1906 Cranleigh St Nicholas Surrey). Caroline was the daughter of Rev. Charles Cuthbert Inge and. Henry and Caroline were married on 29 September 1927 at Oxford St Giles where Rev Inge was the incumbent. (Report of marriage, Nottingham Evening Post, 29 September 1927). At the time of his marriage, Henry was living at 36 Regent Street, Nottingham. There were two children of the marriage; Gillian Mary b. Nottingham 21 July 1928 (J/A/S Nottingham) and William Richard Inge b. Kensington 1932 (A/M/J Kensington). Henry married (2) Edith M Churton in 1941 (O/N/D Westminster Middx). No record has yet been found of the death of Caroline Mary but there is a record of the marriage of a Caroline Mary 'Crewdson or Inge' to George MD Hutcheson in 1935 (J/A/S London), the birth of a Jane Hutcheson in 1937 (J/F/M Lichfield Staffs, mother's name Inge) and the death of a Caroline M Hutcheson (b. 6 December 1905) on 22 July 1989. Henry died aged 89 on 21 September 1987, he was then living at The Lodge, Beresford Road, Goudhurst, Kent. Edith (b. 26 January 1900) predeceased him (d. 16 August 1978)..
Served with the (South Notts) Voluntary Aid Detachment. Sister Crewdson, who died at No. 24 General Hospital, France, from peritonitis while on active service, was one of 38,000 Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses who went overseas to care for injured servicemen. She is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France (grave ref 45.C.13). Awarded the Military Medal (MM) in July 1918. Decoration: Associate of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC) Etaples was the location of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals where tens of thousands of wounded Allied soldiers were treated. It was considered far enough behind the lines to be safe from attack. But on a summer's evening in 1918, German bombers targeted the area, despite the obvious signs that it was mainly populated by the wounded. As the bombs fell, Nurse Crewdson was injured. But she refused treatment. For her courage she was awarded the Military Medal, a rare honour for a woman at that time. She was already the holder of the Associate of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC), an award instituted by Queen Victoria in 1883 specifically for women to recognise special devotion or competency while engaged on nursing or hospital duties with the Navy, Army or Air Force. Sister Dorothea's service began with training at Nottingham hospitals including Bagthorpe and the General, before she left for France in 1915 after the military authorities lifted their restriction on VADs on the front line. Female volunteers over the age of 23 and with more than three months' experience were then allowed to go to the Western Front, Mesopotamia and Gallipoli. Later VADs were sent to the Eastern Front. Many nurses went against their family's wishes. They had precious little in the way of medicines. There was a distinct class divide among the VADs. Because the volunteer nurses did not get paid, they tended to come from the working class: maids, cooks, cleaners and the like. However nursing sisters like Dorothea Crewdson, and matrons, were paid to organise the volunteers and generally were from a higher background (source: Nottingham Post, Feb 2011)
Nottingham Evening Post, 31 July 1918: ‘Military Medal for Miss DML Crewdson. The award of military medals to a number of nurses for distinguished services in the field is announced in the London Gazette. In the majority of cases the bravery and devotion were displayed during the progress of bombing raids on hospitals and the recipients include Miss DML Crewdson, the younger daughter of Mr and Mrs H Crewdson, of 25, Lenton-avenue, The Park, Nottingham. Miss Crewdson is entering upon her fourth year of service with the British Red Cross Society as a VAD nurse, and has been in France since 1915. The official notice conferring the medal upon her is as follows: ‘Although herself wounded, this lady remained on duty and assisted in dressing the wounds of patients’’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Personal inscription CWGC headstone: 'Daughter of Mr and Mrs Henry Crewdson Nottingham. Sursum Corda' [Lift up your hearts] Memorial to Dorothea, Lenton Holy Trinity: 'Laus Deo. In loving memory of Dorothea Mary Lynette Crewdson VAD, Asst. Nurse, ARRC, MM, who died at Etaples 12 March 1919 aged 32 after nearly four years work in France. The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace.' Nottingham Evening Post, Tuesday 18 March 1919: ‘A meeting of the Southwell Diocesan Conference … held in the Temperance Hall, Derby, today, the Bishop of Southwell presiding. The Bishop, in opening the proceedings, recalled the unusually large number of clergy and laity who had passed away since the last meeting of the conference in November. They included ... the daughter of Mr and Mrs Crewdson, of Nottingham, who did such splendid work in the hospital at Etaples, and was there when it was bombed.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Probate: Crewdson Dorothea Mary Lynette of 25 Lenton-avenue the Park Nottingham spinster died 12 March 1919 at No. 24 General Hospital France Administration Nottingham 13 August to Henry Crewdson solicitor. Effects £251 17s. 1d. Memorial to Dorothea's parents, Lenton Holy Trinity: 'In loving memory of Henry Crewdson for many years Churchwarden and Choirmaster of this Church. Born at Kendal, 13th October, 1852. Died at Algeciras, 11th April, 1924 and of Margaret Croom his wife. Born at Glasgow, 26th October, 1858. Died at Nottingham, 4th March, 1926.' Nottingham Evening Post, 14 April 1924: ‘Mr Henry Crewdson. Death of a Nottingham Solicitor. May people will learn with regret of the death of Mr Henry Crewdson, solicitor, senior partner in the firm of Watson, Crewdson and Wadsworth, of Weekday Cross, which occurred on the 11th. Inst. At Algeciras, Spain. Mr Crewdson, who was 73 years of age, had been in indifferent health for some time past, and two years ago underwent an operation.. About three weeks ago he undertook a visit to Spain in the hope of improving his health, but though he was known to be ill, his early demise was not expected ...He sustained a severe blow in the loss of a daughter, who died as the result of nursing service in France. Mr Crowdson leaves a son and a daughter. The former, who was in the Coldstream Guards, is training for the legal profession, and the latter is married to Mr Gilbert Howard, a London solicitor. The interment took place at Gibraltar, and there will be a memorial service in Lenton Church on Wednesday evening.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Nottingham Evening Post, ‘Deaths’, 4 March 1926: ‘Crewdson. On March 4th, at 1 Cavendish-crescent, The Park, Nottingham, Margaret Croom Crewdson, widow of Henry Crewdson, in her 68th year. Funeral Saturday, at 12.15pm at Holy Trinity, Lenton, Nottingham.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
