born at Briton Ferry, near Neath on12 May 1904, the son of Harry Reeve Crosby (e.m. 1899; d. 1942), he was educated at Kingswood School and Richmond College, where he graduated with a London BD and a BA in philosophy. From 1929 to 1938 he served in Sierra Leone as Principal of the Union College, Bunumbu. His work on the grammar of the Mende language earned him a PhD in 1939 and in 1971 he revisited the country as Conference representative. Back in Britain he served in several circuits in the Liverpool area, becoming Synod secretary in 1952. As Chairman of the Manchester and Stockport District 1960-1971, he was closely involved in the *Manchester Council of Churches, and especially with the Anglican and Roman Catholic hierarchy. His wife Dorothy was particularly involved in the support of clerical wives through the District Ministers' Wives Fellowship; and he himself was instrumental, with the support of the Rank Trusts, in making more adequate provision for the widows of ministers who died in the active work. His study of the Church's mission, especially through the work of French sociologists of religion, led him to persuade Conference to replace its redundancy policy by a focus on redevelopment and more effective use of resources. He died at Cranleigh on 23 March 1998.

Geoffrey H. Crosby (born 3 July 1913; e.m. 1936 died 17 April 1993) was his half-brother.

Category: Person
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