A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Crooke, Charles Henry
CROOKE. (Commander, 1815. f-p., 12: h-p., 34.)
Charles Henry Crooke entered the Royal Naval Academy 2 Jan. 1801; and embarked, in 1804, as Midshipman, on board the Phoebe 36, Capt. Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel, in a boat belonging to 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 Alligator 28, Capt. Hugh Pigot; and on becoming attached, as Acting-Lieutenant, to the Circe 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.[1] The subject of this sketch, whose gallantry on the occasion was rewarded by a commission signed 9 Jan. 1809, remained in the Circe, under the command of Capt. Pigot, until 1810, when he invalided. On 27 Sept. 1811, he next joined the Medusa 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 President 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. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1809, p. 146.