Bertie Cross was born in 1879 at Oswestry. He was brought up living at 6 Llewellyn Terrace on Llwyn Road, the fourth eldest of 11 siblings of whom 7 would survive in adulthood. His parents were William and Maria Cross, his father was a printer compositor. By 1901 Bertie was working as a labourer. Two of his brothers were working on the railway, one as a porter and another as a shunter. He would follow them getting a job in Manchester as a railway goods porter, possibly with GWR. He married, Nellie Williams from Oswestry, in 1910. They were wed in Manchester and set up house at 21 Evelyn Street, Eccles. Their child, Albert, was born in December 1910. At Eccles they shared the house with his younger brother, Arthur, his wife, Mary, and baby son Thomas. Arthur too was working on the railway but as a labourer. By the time of the war they were living at 11 Bridlington Avenue, Pendleton, Manchester.  His mother and father were still living in Oswestry at 3 Upper Lord Street.

Bertie joined his local ‘Pals’ battalion – 16 Bn Lancashire fusiliers (Salford Pals) – at Manchester. The battalion went over to France on 22 November 1915, however, Bertie did not arrive in France until 1916 and was not awarded the 1915 Star). Bertie was KIA on 21 November 1916. At that time the battalion was at Beaumont Hamel during the later stage of the Somme Offensive. There was much shelling by the enemy of the support lines and rear area. Bertie was one of the victims. He was one of 8 men KIA and 20 wounded following a barrage of the line. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. He is also commemorated at St Oswald’s Church, Oswestry.

Acknowledgements.

References and Sources

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