James Cyril Baptist's Story.
CROZIER, JAMES CYRIL BAPTIST, 2nd Lieut., 2nd Battn. Royal Munster Fusiliers, only s. of the late Rev. Henry Wilcocks Crozier, Vicar of St. Matthew’s, Stockport, M.A. (T.C.D.), by his wife, Susan Sinclair, dau. of James Spence, J.P., Birkenhead, and gdson. of the Rev. Baptist Barton Crozier, of Rockview House, Ballyhaise, co. Cavan, B.A.; b. Bowden, co. Chester, 24 Oct. 1890; educ. Loretto School, Edinburgh, leaving there for Edinburgh University, where he studied medicine for two years.
He was gazetted to the 3rd Royal Scots (Special Reserve), 10 July, 1912, from which regt. he was transferred to the 2nd Battn. Royal Munster Fusiliers, 10 June, 1914, and was killed in action during the retreat from Mons, near Etreux, 27 Aug. 1914; unm. In a letter to Archbishop Crozier, Primate of All Ireland, Capt. H. S. Jervis (a prisoner in Germany) described in detail the trying day through which the regt. passed on 27 Aug., being eventually cut off from the main body, and proceeded: “B Coy. extended at once, and an attack on the enemy’s position commenced. Your nephew was on the left—or east—of the attacking company, and was very much to the fore; a part of A Coy. extended the line eastwards, continued by my men (D Coy.) The enemy was holding a railway cutting in front of us, so D Coy. tried to rush this, the remainder of the men in that part of the field helping with rifle fire. Owing to lack of cover all my men in this part of the field save two were shot down before the hedge was reached, and the attempt failed. Crozier pushed on ahead of his men, clambered out of a hollow lane which he had just reached, and recklessly exposing himself in the open, shouted out, ‘There they are; come on, men,’ at the same time pointing out the enemy. As he ceased speaking he fell, killed instantaneously by a bullet through the body. It was noticed that he never moved once he fell. It is, therefore, a sad consolation to know that his death was painless, and he died with words on his lips which any of his brother officers would have been proud to be their last also.”
He was gazetted to the 3rd Royal Scots (Special Reserve), 10 July, 1912, from which regt. he was transferred to the 2nd Battn. Royal Munster Fusiliers, 10 June, 1914, and was killed in action during the retreat from Mons, near Etreux, 27 Aug. 1914; unm. In a letter to Archbishop Crozier, Primate of All Ireland, Capt. H. S. Jervis (a prisoner in Germany) described in detail the trying day through which the regt. passed on 27 Aug., being eventually cut off from the main body, and proceeded: “B Coy. extended at once, and an attack on the enemy’s position commenced. Your nephew was on the left—or east—of the attacking company, and was very much to the fore; a part of A Coy. extended the line eastwards, continued by my men (D Coy.) The enemy was holding a railway cutting in front of us, so D Coy. tried to rush this, the remainder of the men in that part of the field helping with rifle fire. Owing to lack of cover all my men in this part of the field save two were shot down before the hedge was reached, and the attempt failed. Crozier pushed on ahead of his men, clambered out of a hollow lane which he had just reached, and recklessly exposing himself in the open, shouted out, ‘There they are; come on, men,’ at the same time pointing out the enemy. As he ceased speaking he fell, killed instantaneously by a bullet through the body. It was noticed that he never moved once he fell. It is, therefore, a sad consolation to know that his death was painless, and he died with words on his lips which any of his brother officers would have been proud to be their last also.”