Anthony Crommelin Crossley
Member of Parliament
for Oldham
In office
27 October 1931 – 25 October 1935
Serving with Hamilton Kerr
Preceded byJames Wilson
Gordon Lang
Succeeded byLeslie Hale
Frank Fairhurst
Member of Parliament
for Stretford
In office
14 November 1935 – 15 August 1939
Preceded byGustav Renwick
Succeeded byRalph Etherton
Personal details
Born(1903-08-13)13 August 1903
Died15 August 1939(1939-08-15) (aged 36)
Off the coast of Denmark
Cause of deathAir crash
Political partyConservative
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford

Anthony Crommelin Crossley (13 August 1903 – 15 August 1939) was a British writer, publisher and Conservative politician.

Early life

Crossley was born on 13 August 1903, the only son of Sir Kenneth Irwin Crossley, 2nd Baronet. His father was chairman of Crossley Brothers Limited and Crossley Motors Limited. He eventually became a director of the company.[1]

In 1916 Crossley enrolled at Eton College, completing his education at Magdalen College, Oxford. His flair for writing both poetry and prose led to his becoming a partner in the publishing house of Christopher's from 1928 to 1935.[1]

In 1927 he married Clare Thomson, a painter,[2] daughter of Brigadier A F Thomson, and had two daughters and one son.

Political career

In 1931 Crossley was elected one of two Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) for the two-seat Oldham borough constituency.[3] At the next election in 1935 he was elected as MP for Stretford in south east Lancashire.[4] He remained MP for the area until his death in 1939.

Sports

Crossley was noted as an enthusiast for fishing and had written a book on the subject.[5] As a tennis player, he had competed in The Championships, Wimbledon in 1931.[6] and 1932.[7]

Death

On 15 August 1939, Crossley was one of four passengers on-board Lockheed Model 10 Electra, G-AESY. The aircraft was operated by British Airways Ltd and flying from Hendon Aerodrome to Copenhagen Airport.

At around 13.20, the aircraft was around 80 kilometres (50 mi) from its destination. The pilot radioed a report of a fire on board and soon after made an emergency water-landing in the Storstrømmen, not far from the Storstrøm Bridge. The aircraft quickly sank. The co-pilot was the only one of the six on board who managed to escape and was rescued by a bridge worker.[8][9]

The next day, the aircraft was raised and it was established that all the victims had likely succumbed to smoke inhalation; two had died because of the fire, three had drowned after the aircraft ditched.[10] The fire was later attributed to leaking fuel caused by the fuel tanks being over-filled; the cause of ignition was not established.[9]

As a Member of Parliament, Crossley's death resulted in the 1939 Stretford by-election, which was won by Conservative Ralph Etherton.

Publications

Crossley published three books of poetry: Aucassin and Nicolette and Other Poems, Prophets, Gods and Witches and Tragedy under Lucifer. His prose works showed his other interests: The History of Eton College Hunt (1922), Chin Wag: The War Records of the Eton Manor Club and The Floating Line for Salmon and Sea Trout (1939, with illustrations by Roy Beddington) .[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mr A.C. Crossley, MP". The Times. No. 48385. London. 16 August 1939. p. 12.
  2. ↑ "Going Out to Goings-On". The Bystander. 6 November 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  3. ↑ The General Election: First Returns, Polling in the Boroughs, The Times, 28 October 1931; p. 6
  4. ↑ The General Election, The Times, 15 November 1935 p. 10
  5. ↑ "Mr A.C. Crossley, MP". The Times. No. 48388. London. 19 August 1939. p. 15.
  6. ↑ "Sporting News, Lawn Tennis, The Championships". The Times. No. 45860. London. 27 June 1931. p. 4.
  7. ↑ "Sporting News, Lawn Tennis, The Championships". The Times. No. 46170. London. 27 June 1932. p. 5.
  8. ↑ "British Airways Liner Lost: M.P. Drowned With Four Others, Crash Off Danish Coast". The Times. No. 48385. London. 16 August 1939. p. 10.
  9. 1 2 Ranter, Harro. "Accident Lockheed 10A Electra G-AESY, 15 Aug 1939". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "The British Air Liner Disaster". The Times. No. 48386. London. 17 August 1939. p. 19.
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