First Contingent 1899 · Boer War · Eighth Contingent 1902 · First World War 1918
Corporal Robert William Crawley
Robert Crawley was a Wanganui farmer who volunteered with the Alexandra Mounted Rifles and sailed on the Waiwera with the First Contingent as Private 24 in October 1899. He went back to South Africa with the Eighth Contingent in 1902, and again in 1918 he sailed with the Mounted Rifles reinforcements, by then a man in his early forties.
He was discharged in September 1919 as no longer fit for service because he was deaf, returned to farming near Wanganui, and died there in December 1957.
His story
A Wanganui farming family
Robert William Crawley was born on 25 March 1876; his father was James Crawley. By 1899 his mother and his brother James were living at Brunswick, near Wanganui, and Robert was working as a farmer (the NZ History roll places him in Waitotara county). He had spent four years as a volunteer in the Alexandra Mounted Rifles.
Source: Online Cenotaph record C108154; NZ History Boer War nominal roll, 'robert william crawley' (nzhistory.govt.nz/soldier/robert-william-crawley)Off to Wellington
A Crawley was among the Wanganui-district volunteers who left for Wellington by train on 9 October 1899 after passing their medical examinations, farewelled by a crowd on the platform. The New Zealand Herald's list of accepted men places a Trooper Crawley in the Alexandra Mounted Rifles. He enlisted as a single man of 24 and was numbered 24 in No. 1 Company of the First Contingent.
Source: Papers Past, Wanganui Herald 9 Oct 1899 'The Wanganui Men'; New Zealand Herald 16 Oct 1899 'The New Zealand Contingent'; Online Cenotaph C108154Sailing on the Waiwera
Private Crawley embarked at Wellington on the Waiwera with the First Contingent, the first New Zealand force to leave for the South African War. His next of kin was his mother, Mrs James Crawley of Brunswick.
Source: Online Cenotaph C108154; NZ History nominal rollSouth Africa with the First Contingent
The First Contingent reached South Africa in November 1899 and returned to New Zealand in January 1901. We have not found an account of Crawley's own actions, wounds or the date and ship of his return, and the Cenotaph record lists no South African medal for him.
Source: Contingent dates from Online Cenotaph C35872 (Hughes biography, citing the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography); no individual source found for CrawleyBack to South Africa with the Eighth Contingent
Crawley went again as number 5165 in B Squadron, North Island Regiment, of the Eighth Contingent, sailing on the Surrey on 1 February 1902. The Cenotaph gives his rank as corporal; the NZ History database lists a sergeant of the same name, number and address. The war ended in May 1902.
Source: Online Cenotaph C108154; NZ History Boer War database (search listing for Robert William Crawley, reg. no 5165, Surrey, 1 Feb 1902)Farming near Wanganui
After the war Crawley returned to farming near Wanganui. By the time he enlisted again he was describing himself as a farm manager.
Source: Online Cenotaph C108154Enlisting again at 41
Crawley joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force as number 61895 (his date of enlistment is not recorded). He was posted as a trooper to the 37th Reinforcements of the Mounted Rifles Brigade, with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, and embarked on the Willochra (HMNZT 102) on 23 April 1918.
Source: Online Cenotaph C108154Discharged
He was discharged on 3 September 1919 as no longer physically fit for war, being deaf. We do not know how far he travelled or whether he saw active service before then.
Source: Online Cenotaph C108154Later life
Crawley went back to farming near Wanganui. He died on 7 December 1957 and was buried at Aramoho Cemetery, Whanganui, on 9 December.
Source: Online Cenotaph C108154; Whanganui District Council burial list via interment.net (Aramoho Cemetery, surnames C)
Rank and insignia
The rank he held, and the badge a soldier of that rank wore. These are simplified illustrations.
His medals
“Documented” means a source we name says he received it. “Listed on the Online Cenotaph” means the museum’s record lists the medal but we could not confirm it elsewhere. “Entitled” means his service dates qualified him, but we have not seen a record of the medal itself. The drawings are simplified illustrations.
His ships
Afterwards
Crawley returned to farming near Wanganui after the South African War and again after his discharge in 1919. He died on 7 December 1957 at about 81 and was buried at Aramoho Cemetery; the Cenotaph record gives no grave reference or memorial.
His sign
This is the Service Record sign as we would make it from his record: his rank, name, regiment, number and date of embarkation. The medals on the sign are worked out automatically from the embarkation date, so the medals listed above are the ones to rely on.
Photograph
We haven’t hosted a photograph here
Rather than copy someone else’s image onto our own site, we’d rather send you to see it where it’s properly held: his full record at the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Online Cenotaph.
Sources
- Robert William Crawley, Online Cenotaph, Auckland War Memorial Museum.
- NZ History: Boer War nominal roll, Robert William Crawley
- Papers Past: The Wanganui Men, Wanganui Herald 9 Oct 1899
- Papers Past: The New Zealand Contingent, New Zealand Herald 16 Oct 1899
- Aramoho Cemetery burial list (Whanganui District Council data), interment.net
What we could not confirm
Two NZ History entries exist for a Robert William Crawley (First Contingent no. 24 and Eighth Contingent no. 5165, both with a Brunswick, Wanganui next of kin). The Cenotaph treats them as one man and so do we, but we have not seen the service files to confirm.
Eighth Contingent rank: Cenotaph says corporal, the NZ History database (as seen in a search listing) says sergeant. Number given as 5165 in the record and 5163 in its biographical note.
Cenotaph shows 23 Apr 1918 to 18 Jul 1918 for the Willochra embarkation; the second date is probably arrival and is unverified. Whether he saw service overseas in 1918 is unknown.
No individual account of his First Contingent service (battles, wounds, return) was found. Papers Past searches turned up only the departure notices. Archives NZ files (R20519573, R20546247) not viewed.
Place of birth, marriage, children and exact age at death are not recorded in sources seen.
NZ History and Te Ara pages were partly blocked to automated access; the NZ History page for the 1899 roll was read, the second Crawley page was not.