McCrea, W (William)

McCrea, W (William)
Corporal William McCrea was the son of Elizabeth McCrea, of Mount View, Waterside, Londonderry, and the late Joseph McCrea.
During the war William served with the 1st and the 2nd and finally the 3rd Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was in the 3rd due to him being severely wounded.
William arrived with the 2nd Battalion in France on the 23rd of August 1914 and went straight to Bertry[1] where they de-trained on the 25th (early in the morning). Within 14 hours they were involved in small skirmishes with the Germans, and so began their war and a fighting retreat.
The battalion moved positions many times and saw no real action or heavy casualties until the 1st of September at Verberie[2] and then on the 7th at Villiers[3]. September would see their casualty list slowly growing daily, but they were soon gaining the upper hand and crossed the river Aisne on pontoons on the 13th while pursuing the Germans who were retreating.
That night they continued up a narrow plateau towards the Germans under cover of fog, but the sun appeared, the fog cleared, and the Germans were waiting. The machineguns ripped through the attackers causing massive casualties.
William McCrea was wounded at this stage and returned to England and then Ireland. He was one of the first soldier casualties of Londonderry. He would return to France at an unknown date to the 1st Battalion of the Inniskilling Fusiliers, C Company. He would be promoted to temporary Lance Corporal at an unknown time and would be severely wounded again during the 1st of March 1917 after receiving a gunshot wound to the face. He was evacuated to the 6th General Hospital in Rouen. He died of these wounds at Herbert Hospital, Woolwich, some two years later.
William was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War and Victory Medals.
Date of Death: 06/03/1919 (Aged 28)
Service: Corporal, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions.
Service Number: 8408
Burial Location: Glendermott Church of Ireland Churchyard and New Cemetery, Old ground, East part.
[1] Bertry is an area in northern France.
[2] 1st September at Verberie they suffered 1 dead, 26 wounded, 25 missing.
[3] 7th September at Villiers they suffered 2 dead, 20 wounded, 6 missing.