Lance/Corporal George Crook
6691 7th East Lancashire Regiment
Killed in Action 13th November 1916
Lived at 1 Tennyson Street
Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France
Burnley Express 2nd December 1916

KILLED IN THE NIGHT ( Burnley Express – 19th November 1916 )

Burnley Woman loses Husband and Brother

Mrs Crook, of 1, Tennyson Street, Burnley, on Thursday received official news of her husband’s death in action on November 13. This confirmed a letter received from Sergt. Richardson, of the East Lancashire Regiment, who stated that Lce-Corpl. George Crook was killed during the night. By the death of her husband Mrs Crook has suffered a double loss, her brother, Pte. Fred Webb, having been killed at Loos on September 25, 1915 In his letter Sergt. Richardson stated:

“It is with the greatest regret that I have to inform you of the death of your husband. He was in my platoon and was killed on Monday night, November 13. He was hit by the fragments of a shell and he was killed instantly, so he suffered no pain. He died fighting nobly for his King and Country. He was a grand soldier and well liked by all his comrades, and we all feel sorry for you. I hope you will accept our deepest sympathy, and we hope that God will comfort and console you in your sorrow. You can rest assured he will be buried as respectable as can be along with a few others who fell beside him.”

Lce.-Corpl. Crook was a foundry labourer. He had served seven years in India with the same regiment, and had been on the reserve for eight years. He had finished with the Army a couple of years when the war broke out and in the early days of the German aggression he volunteered again for duty, and was accepted. He had been in France without mishap for a year and five months. Lce.-Corpl. Crook had two brothers in the East Lancashire Regiments who were both time expired men when they re-enlisted. Jack has been gassed, and James is missing. Mrs Crook, in addition to the brother killed, has another brother in hospital in Mesopotamia wounded, this being Gunner Arthur Webb, of the R.F.A. His sister’s husband, Pte. Albert Charnock, is one of the Charnock family of whom we gave a photograph recently.