Early life and education Crawford was brought up by his mother, Doris Agnes Mary Pike, and her parents, Montague Pike and his wife, Edith (née Keefe or O'Keefe), in what Crawford described as a "close-knit Roman Catholic family". His maternal grandmother was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, and lived to be 99 years old. His mother's first husband, Arthur Dumbell "Smudge" Smith, who was not his biological father, was killed, aged 22, on 6 September 1940 during the Battle of Britain, less than a year after they married.Phantom: Michael Crawford Unmasked, Anthony Hayward (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1991) Sixteen months after Smith's death, Crawford was born, the result of a short-lived relationship, and given his mother's surname, which was that of her first husband.
Early life and education Crawford was brought up by his mother, Doris Agnes Mary Pike, and her parents, Montague Pike and his wife, Edith (née Keefe or O'Keefe), in what Crawford described as a "close-knit Ro,man Catholic family". His maternal grandmother was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, and lived to be 99 years old. His mother's first husband, Arthur Dumbell "Smudge" Smith, who was not his biological father, was killed aged 22, on 6 September 1940 during the Battle of Britain, less than a year after they married.Phantom: Michael Crawford Unmasked, A,nthony Hayward (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1991) Sixteen months after Smith's death Crawford was born, the result of a short-lived relationship, and given his mother's surname, which was that of her first husband.