Article from the Nottingham Evening Post dated 15th May 1916 : -
“KILLED -IN ACTION.
“WELL-KNOWN CRICKETER AND GOLFER.
“News has been received in Nottingham of the death in action of Capt. A. B. Crawford, of the West Yorks. Regiment. The late Capt. Crawford joined the army as private in the Lincolnshire Regiment at the outbreak of war, and received his commission early last year. He was a son of Dr. A. B. Crawford, of Stanton Hill, and was educated at Oundle School, Northamptonshire. He was articled to Messrs. Eking, Morris, and Armitage, Nottingham, before going to London in 1913, where he was with Messrs. Kinch and Richerdson. In June, 1914, he succeeded to the practice in Boston of his friend, Mr. Herbert George Smith, who was killed in a motor car accident near Sleaford.
“Crawford was well known in local cricket circles as a dashing batsman and a fast bowler. In 1911, the year they won the county championship, Capt. Crawford played in six matches for Warwickshire, for which county he had a birth qualification. He had an average of 16.57 for nine innings, and took seven wickets at a cost of 39.14 runs each.
“His cricket interests, however, chiefly lay in Nottingham, where he had been resident for the greater part of his life, and 1912 took part in most of the matches played by Notts. during the first half of the season. He played in eight county championship games, and had batting average of 12.18, and he took five wickets. He assisted Notts, against both the Australians and South Africans, and against the former at Trent Bridge accomplished his best performance for the county when in the first innings he hit up 51 in brilliant style. He never quite reached the same level afterwards, and midway through the season dropped out of the eleven. The late Captain Crawford was also a fine golfer.”
Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his Facebook pages, Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
His Divisional Commander writes: "Your boy was doing splendidly. He had been commanding his company for some time and was if anything too brave. " He is a great loss to his Regiment, I might say to the Division. I wish we had more like him."
His Battalion Commander writes: "He was a most able Company Commander, a most gallant man, full of dash and pluck, and would have risen high in the Army."
He is also commemorated on the Coleshill Grammar School Memorial,