Lieutenant Colonel Richard Crosse DSO &

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

(1888–1970) was a British Army officer who commanded the 2nd Battalion The

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was a light infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1958, serving in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. The regiment was formed as a consequence of th ...

(The 52nd) on the Western Front. He was twice awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

. He later joined the

Ulster Special Constabulary The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC; commonly called the "B-Specials" or "B Men") was a quasi-military reserve special constable police force in what would later become Northern Ireland. It was set up in October 1920, shortly before the par ...

Military service

Richard Banestre Crosse was born in

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

. Crosse was commissioned into the Oxfordshire Light Infantry in 1906 and was posted to the 2nd battalion known as the 52nd. The regiment became the

in 1908. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1909 and appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd) in March 1913. Crosse was awarded the DSO in January 1915. He was appointed

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in May 1915 and remained adjutant to February 1916. He was appointed Brevet Major in June 1916. On 8 July 1916 Crosse took over command of the 2nd Ox and Bucks (the 52nd). He led the battalion in many battles on the Western Front including on the Somme battlefield at

Delville Wood The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and ...

Guillemont Guillemont () is a commune approximately east of Albert in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It, like much of the surrounding area, is primarily an agricultural community, but is known for its large Commonwealth War ...

and in the battle of Beaumont Hamel: a large attack on the Redan Ridge in the

battle of the Ancre The Battle of the Ancre was fought by the British Fifth Army (Lieutenant-General Hubert Gough), against the German 1st Army (General Fritz von Below). The Reserve Army had been renamed the Fifth Army on 30 October. The battle was the last ...

. Later battles included the

Battle of Arras (1917) The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British Empire, British offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German Empi ...

and the

battle of the Selle The Battle of the Selle (17–25 October 1918) was a battle between Allied forces and the German Army, fought during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. Prelude After the Second Battle of Cambrai, the Allies advanced almost and liberated ...

. Crosse was awarded a Bar to the DSO in February 1918. He was wounded on 23 August 1918 and rejoined the battalion on 2 October 1918 having discharged himself from hospital and he continued treatment through the regimental medical officer. He was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

four times. Crosse was appointed a Chevalier of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

in 1917. During the 1st World War Crosse declined further promotion in order to stay with his battalion which he remained in command of to June 1919. He retired from the Army in 1923 and joined the

in 1924. Crosse wrote a book on the history of his former regiment: titled A Short History of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 1741 - 1922. He died in

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

References

*The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (the 43rd/52nd Regiment of Foot) Philip Booth (1971) *History of the 43rd and 52nd (Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire) Light Infantry Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918 Vol 11 The 52nd Light Infantry in France and Belgium Simon Harris (2012) *The Story of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (The old 43rd and 52nd Regiments) Sir Henry Newbolt (1915) *The Somme Gary Sheffield (2004) {{DEFAULTSORT:Crosse, Richard 1888 births 1970 deaths Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry officers Ulster Special Constabulary officers People from Macclesfield Military personnel from Cheshire British Army personnel of World War I