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CROOKE. which ship he appears to have been wounded in an attack made on a French brig-of-war in the Mediterranean in 1805. After participating, as we believe, in the battle of Trafalgar, he proceeded to the West Indies as Master’s Mate of the 28, Capt. Hugh Pigot; and on becoming attached, as Acting-Lieutenant, to the  32, Capt. Fras. Augustus Collier, took command of her boats, 12 Dec. 1808, and made a most heroic – though unsuccessful – dash at an enemy’s corvette, Le Cygne of 16 guns, protected, near St. Pierre, Martinique, by four batteries and a considerable body of troops, with field-pieces, assembled on the beach. Out of 68 men who had been detached on this service, the British lost 9 killed and 21 wounded, and 26 missing, making in the whole 56, inclusive of Mr. Crooke himself, who was badly wounded in four places. The subject of this sketch, whose gallantry on the occasion was rewarded by a commission signed 9 Jan. 1809, remained in the, under the command of Capt. Pigot, until 1810, when he invalided. On 27 Sept. 1811, he next joined the 32, Capt. Hon. Duncombe Pleydell Bouverie; and, on the night of 4 June, 1812, he served in the boats under Lieut. Josiah Thompson at the capture and destruction, in the harbour of Arcasson, of La Dorade, of 14 guns and 86 men, after a desperate struggle, in which the assailants had 5 men wounded, and the enemy, who had hailed the latter in their approach, and were in every way prepared for the attack, 63 killed and drowned. Lieut. Crooke’s last appointment was, 3 Jan. 1814, to the frigate, Capts. Fras. Mason and Archibald Duff, on the Irish station. He attained his present rank 30 Aug. 1815, and has since been on half-pay.

Commander Crooke was awarded, 16 Feb. 1816, a pension of 150l. for his wounds; previously to which he had been presented with gratuities from the Patriotic Fund. – Messrs. Stilwell.

 CROOKE. 

entered the Navy, 15 Feb. 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 38, Capt. Jonathan Faulknor, employed off the coast of Ireland, where he assisted at the capture of several French privateers. Between March, 1798, and Aug. 1802, he next served, on the Home and Mediterranean stations, as Midshipman of the 100, bearing the flag of Lord Bridport, and  44, Capt. Philip Chas. Durham. Being appointed, 8 May, 1804, to a Lieutenancy in the of 38 guns and 200 men, Capt. Sir Robt. Laurie, he was present when that vessel was captured, after a brilliant and self-sought action of nearly three hours, and a loss of 20 men killed and 38 wounded, including himself, by the French frigate Ville de Milan of 46 guns and 350 men, 10 of whom appear to have been slain, 17 Feb. 1805. The latter ship, however, was herself taken, with her prize, on 23 of the same month, by the 50, Capt. John Talbot; and, being added to the British Navy as the 38-gun frigate, was commissioned by Sir R. Laurie, under whose orders Mr. Crooke continued until May, 1806. He then joined the 80, Capt. Wm. Hargood, in which he beheld the destruction, off Cape Henry, of the French 74-gun ship Impétueux, 14 Sept. following. From April, 1807, to April, 1809, he was afterwards on board the 40, Capt. John Wentworth Loring, off Cork; and in Feb. 1813, he joined the  troop ship, Capt. Chas. Montague Fabian, employed on the coast of North America. Lieut. Crooke, the date of whose commission was subsequently altered for some reason to 15 Oct. 1814, has not been afloat since that period. In consideration of the wound above alluded to, he was presented with a sum of money by the Committee of the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s. – J. Hinxman.

 CROOKE. 

entered the Navy, 10 Dec. 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board 18, Capt. Thos. White, whom he subsequently followed, as Midshipman, into the 18,  98, and  64, on the Channel and Baltic stations. In Feb. 1811, he joined the 74, Capt. Henry Rich. Glynn; and removing, next, to the 64, Capts. Robt. Williams and Jas. Pattison Stewart, commanded a boat at the cutting out of a schooner and other vessels from under a heavy fire in the Baltic. On 6 July, 1812, being in company with the 18, we find the  gallantly effecting the capture and destruction, within the rocks of Mardoe, on the Norway coast, of a whole Danish sqnadron, consisting of the Nayaden of 48 guns, the Laland, Samsoe, and Kiel sloops, and several gun-boats, after a long contest, which occasioned a loss to the British 64 of 5 men killed and 24 wounded, and to the Danes of 300 killed and wounded. Until the conclusion of hostilities, Mr. Crooke was next employed, in succession, on board the 18, Capt. Andrew Pellet Green, stationed in the Channel –  74, flag-ship in the Baltic of Rear-Admiral Graham Moore –  74, Capt. Robt. Williams, whom he accompanied with convoy to the Leeward Islands – and 56, and  98, bearing each the broad pendant of Commodore Sir Jas. Lucas Yeo on Lake Ontario, where he took part in many active operations. Since the receipt of his commission, 13 March, 1815, the subject of this notice has been on half-pay. – J. Hinxman.

 CROOKE. 

entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1809, as a Supernumerary, on board the 38, Capt. Thos. Briggs; and from July following until Feb. 1811, served in the East Indies as Midshipman of the 20, and  38, both commanded by Capt. Rich. Spencer, under whom he assisted, in the, at the capture, in 1810, of the Dutch islands of Amboyna, Saparona, Naso-Laut, and Pulo-Ay, and of the Dutch national brig Recruteur laden with money and stores for the latter place. Until the peace he next served, in the Channel and again in India, on board the 50, Capt. Hugh Cook, and  36, and Cornwallis 74, each under the command of Capt. Stephen Thos. Digby; after which we find him successively joining the 74, flag-ship at the Brazils of Sir John Poo Beresford,  18, Capt. Sir Chas. Thos. Jones, on the Halifax station, brig, Capt. Wm. Jas. Mingaye, in the Channel, and 50, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood, on the East India station, where he was promoted, from the Acting-Mastership of the, Capt. Geo. Cornish Gambler, to a Lieutenancy in the 18, Capt. Mark John Currie, 9 Jan. 1823. He returned to England with the latter officer in 1824, on board the 84; and was next appointed – 9 June, 1828, as First, to the  10, Capts. John Pole and Henry Griffith Colpoys, at the Cape of Good Hope – 2 Oct. following, and 29 March, 1832, to the 28, Capt. Wm. Walpole, and 52, Capt. Lord Wm. Paget, both in the West Indies – 29 Oct. and 31 Dec. 1832, 3 Jan. 1834, and 18 Aug. 1838, to the command of the, , , and , on the Jamaica, Lisbon, Mediterranean, and Falmouth stations – and, 9 April, 1845, again as First-Lieutenant, to the 110, flagship at Devonport of Sir John West. Since the date of his last promotion, 15 Jan. 1846, Commander Crooke has been unemployed.

He married, in 1840, Eliza Keelir, eldest daughter of W. Vice, Esq., of Truro, co. Cornwall. – Messrs. Stilwell.

 CROOKE. 

is fourth and youngest son of the late William Crooke, Esq., of Ahavrin, co. Cork.

This officer entered the Navy, 23 Feb. 1808, as a Volunteer, on board the 13, Lieut.-