A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Crooke, William
CROOKE. (Commander, 1846. f-p., 31; h-p., 7.)
William Crooke entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1809, as a Supernumerary, on board the Clorinde 38, Capt. Thos. Briggs; and from July following until Feb. 1811, served in the East Indies as Midshipman of the Samarang 20, and Blanche 38, both commanded by Capt. Rich. Spencer, under whom he assisted, in the Samarang, 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 Diomede 50, Capt. Hugh Cook, and Theban 36, and Cornwallis 74, each under the command of Capt. Stephen Thos. Digby; after which we find him successively joining the Duncan 74, flag-ship at the Brazils of Sir John Poo Beresford, Harrier 18, Capt. Sir Chas. Thos. Jones, on the Halifax station, Camelion brig, Capt. Wm. Jas. Mingaye, in the Channel, and Leander 50, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood, on the East India station, where he was promoted, from the Acting-Mastership of the Dauntless, Capt. Geo. Cornish Gambler, to a Lieutenancy in the Satellite 18, Capt. Mark John Currie, 9 Jan. 1823. He returned to England with the latter officer in 1824, on board the Asia 84; and was next appointed – 9 June, 1828, as First, to the Falcon 10, Capts. John Pole and Henry Griffith Colpoys, at the Cape of Good Hope – 2 Oct. following, and 29 March, 1832, to the Ranger 28, Capt. Wm. Walpole, and Winchester 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 Speedwell, Pincher, Nautilus, and Peterel, on the Jamaica, Lisbon, Mediterranean, and Falmouth stations – and, 9 April, 1845, again as First-Lieutenant, to the Queen 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. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.