CROOK, Samuel Richard
| Service Number: | 11881 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 9th Field Ambulance |
| Born: | Eveleigh, New South Wales, Australia , 16 July 1883 |
| Home Town: | Leichhardt, Leichhardt, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Train Guard |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 13 October 1917, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Leichhardt War Memorial, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Townsville 9th Field Ambulance Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 1 May 1916: | Involvement Sergeant, 11881, 9th Field Ambulance, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1916: | Embarked Sergeant, 11881, 9th Field Ambulance, HMAT Benalla, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Samuel Richard CROOK, (Service Number 11881) was born on 16 July 1883 at Eveleigh. He began work for the NSW Railways on 30 April 1900 as a telephone boy in the Traffic Branch in Sydney. He retained this position for a year until he became a junior porter and then a porter at Darling Harbour in 1906. Later that year he rose to be a shunter, and in 1909 a goods guard at Eskbank (now Lithgow). By 1911 he was a guard at Harden, returning to the Metropolitan District in the same role in 1912 where he remained until he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 16 August 1915. With a career of 15 years Crook had one of the lengthiest periods of employment by the NSW Railways of all the men who died on active service.
On 16 May 1917 Crook was awarded the Military Medal for his actions eleven days earlier. His record includes the citation:
‘Awarded Military Medal for that at Charing Cross Advanced Dressing Station during a heavy bombardment on the night of May 5/6th. He lost no opportunity on seeing to the safety and comfort of personnel and patients under a heavy fire of H[igh] E[xplosive] and Shrapnel (20 Shell holes are within 50 yards radius of the dressing station), he assisted at and directed the removal of patients to places of safety. Later on he led a party to repair holes caused by shells in the road and the removal of broken trees etc. He throughout showed disregard to personal safety and devotion to duty.’
He was killed in action on 13 October 1917.
An eye-witness, Lance Corporal H T Allardice (11897) later reported:
‘He was a Sergt. when killed. He was standing outside a pill box at a place called Berlin Wood. He had 16 stretcher cases there at the time. A shell came over and killed the whole lot. Blew the top of his head off. I saw him dead. He was simply idolised by every man in the unit. Not a man but would have done anything for him. He and I were talking about 2 or 3 that morning and he said 13 was his lucky number. He was born and engaged on a 13th and met his death on the 13th October 17. He went up in charge of 12 stretcher bearers, himself the 13th. Everybody mourned his loss from the C.O. to the youngest boy in the unit. He had a Military Medal. He came from N.S.W.’
The award of the Military Medal was not formally promulgated until November, so Crook never received it, and it was forwarded to his sister Zenobia living in Ashfield.
Submitted 8 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Samuel Richard CROOK (Service Number 11881) was born on 16th July 1883 at Eveleigh. He began work for the NSW Railways on 30th April 1900 as a telephone boy in the Traffic Branch in Sydney. He retained this position for a year. Then he became a junior porter and then a porter at Darling Harbour in 1906. Later that year he rose to be a shunter. In 1909 he became a goods train guard at Eskbank (now Lithgow). By 1911 he was a guard at Harden. He returned to the Metropolitan District in the same role in 1912. He stayed there until he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 16th August 1915. With a career of 15 years Samuel Crook had one of the lengthiest periods of employment by the NSW Railways of all those men who died on active service. Although he was 32-years-old when he enlisted at Holdsworthy, he was not married. Reports after his death suggest that he was engaged at that time, but no details have emerged. He had experience with the Australian Army Medical Corps in the Militia. He was allotted to this type of work in the 13th Field Ambulance. He was promoted to Sergeant on 8th March 1916 before he left Australia from Sydney onboard HMAT ‘Benalla’ on 1st May 1916. He reached Plymouth on 9th July. After further training in England he went to France from Southampton on 23rd November 1916.
On 16th May 1917 Samuel Crook was awarded the Military Medal for his actions eleven days earlier. His record includes the citation:
‘Awarded Military Medal for that at Charing Cross Advanced Dressing Station during a heavy bombardment on the night of May 5/6th. He lost no opportunity on seeing to the safety and comfort of personnel and patients under a heavy fire of H[igh] E[xplosive] and Shrapnel (20 Shell holes are within 50 yards radius of the dressing station), he assisted at and directed the removal of patients to places of safety. Later on he led a party to repair holes caused by shells in the road and the removal of broken trees etc. He throughout showed disregard to personal safety and devotion to duty.’
Later in the year he had twelve days leave, returning to his unit on 27th September. He was killed in action on 13th October 1917.
An eye-witness, Lance Corporal H T Allardice (11897) later reported:
‘He was a Sergt. when killed. He was standing outside a pill box at a place called Berlin Wood. He had 16 stretcher cases there at the time. A shell came over and killed the whole lot. Blew the top of his head off. I saw him dead. He was simply idolised by every man in the unit. Not a man but would have done anything for him. He and I were talking about 2 or 3 that morning and he said 13 was his lucky number. He was born and engaged on a 13th and met his death on the 13th October 17. He went up in charge of 12 stretcher bearers, himself the 13th. Everybody mourned his loss from the C.O. to the youngest boy in the unit. He had a Military Medal. He came from N.S.W.’
The award of the Military Medal was not formally promulgated until November. Therefore Samuel Crook never received it. It was sent to his sister Zenobia, who was living in Ashfield.
One report stated that his grave had been seen in Ypres Prison Cemetery, but other reports challenged this as being impossible. In any case the grave, if it existed, has been lost and Samuel Crook’s name is recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Click images to start slideshow.