James Crooks

A Skipper with Trawler Acacia, James died on 1st of December 1919 at the age of 46. 

James was born at Ipswich in 1873, a son of John and Amelia Crooks. His father died in 1879 and his mother married William Keeble. In 1881 his family lived at 5 Handford Cut, Ipswich. 

On 20 October 1897 James married Jane Elizabeth Hales at Saint Margaret’s Church. James was a mariner and they both gave their address as 22 Seago Street. In 1899 they lived at Arnold Street. In 1901 they lived at 2 Tennyson Road, and by 1911 were living at 24 Seago Street. 

In December 1891 gales on the east coast caused significant danger to fishermen. At this time James was working on the Lowestoft trawler Councillor and while at sea his arm was broken through the capsizing of the dandy winch (See Eastern Daily Press 14 December 1891, page 8). In late 1899 James worked on the trawler Chanticleer, LT 438. An accident occurred and James was badly injured by the boom falling on his back. The trawler returned to Lowestoft for James to receive medical treatment (See Lowestoft Journal 4 May 1899, page 5). By 1901 James was the Mate of the Chanticleer. 

Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal London Gazette 22/12/1916 for defending his trawler against a submarine. The following notice explains the circumstances of the award:

DEATH OF A FAMOUS SKIPPER

The death is announced of Skipper James Crooks, D.C.M. (sic), of Lowestoft. 

Skipper Crooks won the D.C.M. in October 1916. He was in command of the Lowestoft smack Acacia on the fishing grounds, when a U-boat rose to the surface and riddled the smack with shells. The submarine then ordered the smack’s crew by signal to take to their boat. Skipper Crooks ordered his men to keep to their ship. “We will not give in without a struggle,” he said, and he drove his vessel at the U-boat, which was compelled to dive in order to avoid being rammed. Several other smacks on the fishing ground were thus saved from attack.
On a previous occasion Skipper Crooks had his smack sunk by a U-boat and the crew turned adrift in their dingy.  

James died at Lowestoft in late 1919. 

Notes: Newspaper reports state that James was awarded the D.C.M., this is an error, his award was the Distinguished Service Medal, or D.S.M.
The date of James’ death is yet to be confirmed. The exact location of James' grave is yet to be confirmed, but given that one of his daughters and his widow are both buried at Lowestoft's Normanston Drive Cemetery it is assumed that this is where James was buried.