Back CROOKS David Alexander Cummings
d. 01 Apr 1941 CWGC
Service Number 40678
A/P/O (prob) 7th May 1938. (Gazette Issue 34513 published on the 24 May 1938. Page 15 of 76)
P/O Not found
F/O 03 Sep 1940. (Gazette Issue 34964 published on the 8 October 1940. Page 11 of 56)
F/Lt Not found
DFC 25th June, 1940. (Gazette Issue 34881 published on the 25 June 1940. Page 7 of 60)
Date A/C Crew Duty Up Down Details of Sortie or Flight
08-Dec-40 P.6972 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 11:15 11:45 Section patrolled Exmouth, the vectored to Torquay, then returned to Exmouth.
08-Dec-40 P.6972 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 15:25 16:40 Section patrolled base at 15000'. Plotted as a hostile raid. Sirens sounded in Exeter.
13-Dec-40 P.6972 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 15:05 15:40 Section ordered to intercept Raid 132 in the vicinity of Start Point. Enemy not sighted. Plotting was irregular and R/T poor.
17-Dec-40 P.6968 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 11:10 11:40 Section patrolled between Start Point at Exmouth.
20-Dec-40 P.6973 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:50 15:50 The Section was ordered to patrol Bear Head and then to intercept Raid 148. Plots of the raid faded in Lyme Bay
21-Dec-40 P.6972 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 09:00 09:30 The section was ordered to intercept Raid 164. This was intercepted at 0912 off Start Point and identified as a Martin 167.
23-Dec-40 P.6973 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 08:40 09:35 The section was on patrol in the neighbourhood of Start Point.
27-Dec-40 P.6974 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 11:35 12:00 The section patrolled in the vicinity of Start Point and Torquay.
02-Jan-41 P.6982 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 10:10 11:20 The patrol was detailed to intercept Raid 72, identified as JU.88. The enemy was not sighted.
02-Jan-41 P.6982 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 11:45 12:45 Two raiders were plotted South of the Lizard, but were not sighted.
03-Jan-41 P.6973 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Sweep 09:45 11:10 F/O Crooks carried out a sweep over the Channel 40 miles South of the Lizard, then 40 miles East, then North to the coast. He did not sight anything.
04-Jan-41 P.6976 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:30 15:10 The two aircraft were put on patrol, but were not ordered to intercept any raid.
04-Jan-41 P.6976 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Chameleon Patrol 16:00 16:45 This was a special operation the object of which was to attack German “E” boats coming from Cherbourg. Nothing seen
13-Jan-41 P.6981 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Chameleon Patrol 16:00 16:45 The three aircraft again carried out the “Chameleon patrol”. Apart from a smoke trail at 20,000 feet they saw nothing in the Channel.
17-Jan-41 P.6985 F/O D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 10:15 11:00 The two aircraft were on patrol.
20-Jan-41 P.6986 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 09:50 10:55 An attempt was made to intercept a raid South of Start Point, but no contact was made.
23-Jan-41 P.6986 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 10:35 11:30 The two aircraft were detailed to intercept a raider which came 5 miles off the coast near Fowey. He turned away, however, before they could intercept.
01-Feb-41 P.6990 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 15:30 16:10 The two aircraft were on patrol.
04-Feb-41 P.6988 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 11:40 12:40 The section was ordered to intercept Raid 141 which, however, faded 60 miles South of the Lizard
08-Feb-41 P.6968 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 09:06 10:15 Blue section up from Exeter at 0840 on a practice flight was vectored onto Raid 139, 12 miles south of Start Point an Arado 196 was intercepted and F/O Hughes gave it a 5 second burst with no observed results. Red section up from St.Eval at 0906 as orbiting south of Dodman Point when F/Lt Crooks saw a float plane crash into the sea. P/O Graham had passed him 2 minutes earlier, but this was the last that he saw of him. A coastguard reported that two aircraft had crashed into the sea 3 miles south of Dodman Point, the first in flames. P/O Graham was credited with the destruction of an Arado 196.
10-Feb-41 P.6988 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:40 15:50 The Section was on patrol.
14-Feb-41 P.6989 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 15:25 16:03 The section was detailed to intercept Raid 124 which faded in the direction of The Smalls.
15-Feb-41 P.6988 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 08:50 09:50 The section was on patrol.
15-Feb-41 P.6990 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:00 14:30 The section was on patrol.
17-Feb-41 P.6985 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:00 14:30 The two aircraft were on patrol
20-Feb-41 P.6989 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 08:55 09:30 The two aircraft were on patrol
21-Feb-41 P.6989 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 10:00 10:35 F/Lt. Crooks was detailed to Raid 108 which flew parallel with the coast, 35 miles out to sea at 24,000 feet. No interception resulted.
23-Feb-41 P.6986 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 15:10 15:20 The two aircraft were put on patrol. F/Lt.Crooks had to return as his undercarriage was u/s.
25-Feb-41 P.6986 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 11:45 12:40 The section was put on patrol in connection with Raid 351 – 1 plot only N.W. of the Scillies.
26-Feb-41 P.6988 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 08:45 10:00 F/Lt Crooks was detailed to Raid 132 which passed 25 miles S.W. of the Lizard to the Scillies.
26-Feb-41 P.6989 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:15 14:50 The section was on patrol.
01-Mar-41 P.6993 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 09:05 10:35 The two aircraft were on patrol.
01-Mar-41 P.6989 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 13:45 14:55 The two aircraft were on patrol.
01-Mar-41 P.6994 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 17:25 17:45 F/Lt Crooks was on patrol.
02-Mar-41 P.6991 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 10:00 11:45 During the day, a continuous patrol was maintained by 263, 234, and 247 Squadron over a battleship which was coming in a damaged condition from the Scillies to Plymouth.
02-Mar-41 P.6991 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 13:45 15:20 During the day, a continuous patrol was maintained by 263, 234, and 247 Squadron over a battleship which was coming in a damaged condition from the Scillies to Plymouth.
02-Mar-41 P.6991 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 17:20 19:05 During the day, a continuous patrol was maintained by 263, 234, and 247 Squadron over a battleship which was coming in a damaged condition from the Scillies to Plymouth.
11-Mar-41 P.6987 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 14:30 14:40 F/Lt Crooks patrolled Lizard Point.
23-Mar-41 P.7000 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 07:20 07:45 The section was on patrol over Convoy “ Sapper”
23-Mar-41 P.7000 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 09:25 10:40  
30-Mar-41 P.7004 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 13:05 13:35 The section investigated two doubtful raids which later proved to be coastal aircraft.
30-Mar-41 P.7004 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 18:05 19:30 Over Convoy “Robin”
31-Mar-41 P.7004 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Convoy Patrol 06:20 07:50 Over Convoy “Robin”
31-Mar-41 P.7004 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 08:50 09:45 The section was detailed to a raid 145 (probably and HE.111) which dropped bombs in Falmouth Bay but saw nothing.
01-Apr-41 P.6989 F/Lt D.A.C. Crooks Interception Patrol 18:35 - A Do.215 was intercepted North of the Lizard. S/Ldr Donaldson attacked and damaged it. F/Lt Crooks crashed in flames near Helston and was killed. It appears that he was shot down by the Dornier, but S/Ldr Donaldson did not see him after giving the “tally ho”.