CROOK, William John
| Service Number: | 68 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
| Born: | Kilmore, Victoria, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Wonthaggi, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Died: | Foster, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, 24 March 1927, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Dandenong General Cemetery |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 68, Headquarters Staff | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 68, Headquarters Staff, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orvieto embarkation_ship_number: A3 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 68, Headquarters Staff, HMAT Orvieto, Melbourne | |
| 4 Jul 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, Anzac Provost Corps , France | |
| 16 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Corporal, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) | |
| 21 Dec 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Corporal, 68, Australian Flying Corps (AFC), ex England for Melbourne on board HT Persic A34 | |
| 26 Mar 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Corporal, 68, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Corporal William John Crook (Service Nos:68/878) enlisted in the AIF on 17 August 1914 and, according to his Attestation Papers (National Archives Australia) was a Private (Service No:878) with 8th Infantry Battalion for a short time before being a Batman (Service No:64) attached to Divisional HQ. Private Crook embarked from Melbourne for Egypt on 21 October 1914 on board HMAT Orvieto A3 and was attached to HQ 1 Australian Division. He served in Alexandria, the Dardanelles and Ismaela and was Groom to the Assistant Provost Marshall. In 1916 he was in France when he was promoted to Corporal and attached to Anzac Provost Police. Suffering repeated bouts of chronic laryngitis, Corporal Crook was evacuated to London, and in September 1917 transferred to Australian Flying Corps. He embarked for Melbourne on 21 December 1917 on board HT Persic and was Discharged on 26 March 1918.
Born in 1892 in Kilmore Victoria, Willy was the youngest of five children of Thomas Crook (b1862 in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria) and second wife Mary Jane Penman (b1863 in Melbourne, Victoria). Thomas (a Labourer) and Mary married in Melbourne in 1889 and lived in Kilmore and Wonthaggi.
Willy served in the Cadets and worked as a Bricklayer before enlisting in the AIF. Following his Discharge from the AIF he worked as a Labourer and in 1920 married Clarice Agnes Mahoney (b1894 in Melbourne, Victoria). Willy worked as a Labourer and was a Jockey on the country race circuit. He died when his pony - Wee Ben - fell while racing at Foster in Gippsland on 24 March 1927. Willie suffered a fractured jaw and concussion of the brain, and died in hospital. Clarice later remarried.
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