Percy Cronshaw was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, on 10th January 1885. The second of five children, he was the oldest son to Thomas and Alice Cronshaw. Thomas was a loom overseer in a local mill, and when Percy completed his schooling, he found work as a calico weaver. Alice had died by the time of the 1901 census, and the family has moved to a cottage on Loxham Street in Bolton.

Percy wanted a better life for himself and, on 12th February 1902, he joined in the Royal Navy. Too young to fully enlist, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Northampton for his training. Over the next year he learnt the tools of his trade, rising to Boy 1st Class after just three months.

By the time of Percy’s eighteenth birthday, he had had three further postings: the shore bases HMS Calliope in Gateshead and HMS Victory in Portsmouth; and the cruiser HMS Good Hope. It was with her that he came of age, and was in a position to formally enlist in the Royal Navy.

The now Ordinary Seaman Cronshaw’s papers show the man he had become. He was 5ft 4.5ins (1.64m) tall, with auburn hair, black eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having moles on the right side of his face and neck, and two tattoos: his initials on his right forearm, and an anchor on his left.

Percy remained aboard HMS Good Hope until the spring of 1905. By this point, he had been promoted, taking the rank of Able Seaman. With his promotion came more training, and he spent the next year split between HMS Victory and HMS Excellent, another shore base in Portsmouth. His annual reviews noted a very good character and an ability to match.

Over the next seven years, Able Seaman Cronshaw would go on to serve on two further ships – HMS Venus and HMS Superb. In between voyages he returned to Portsmouth, with HMS Excellent becoming his home port. This land base offered some continuity, and the unexpected bonus of romance. On 28th January 1912, Percy married Frances Stubbington, a shoemaker’s daughter from the city: the couple would go on to have a child, Violet, who was born later that year.

By this point, Percy had been given a new posting, on board the battleship HMS Bulwark. When war was declared, she became a part of the Channel Fleet, tasked with patrolling and defending Britain’s southern coast.

On 26th November 1914, Bulwark was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some poorly stowed charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. Able Seaman Cronshaw was among those to be recovered: he was 29 years of age.

Percy Cronshaw’s body as laid to rest alongside his colleagues in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent. As his body had been identified, he was able to be buried in a marked grave.

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