David Moore Crook, DFC (24 November 1914 – 18 December 1944) was a British fighter pilot and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

RAF career

After attending the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

, he was mobilised as part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force on the outbreak of war. Flying the

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

Crook participated in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, flying with

No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, originally formed as a bomber squadron and in the Second World War active as fighter squadron, nowadays provides personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air F ...

(at the time this was a squadron of the

Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

). He initially joined the squadron on 22 September 1938 as an acting pilot officer, this rank was confirmed on 4 May 1940, and later further back-dated to 9 December 1939. He destroyed a Junkers Ju 87 of Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (StG 77) on 9 July, and a Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) Messerschmitt Bf 109 on 13 August. On 15 August 1940, he mistakenly shot down a Blenheim fighter, although the crew was only slightly injured. Two Bf 109's were claimed on 30 September 1940. Crook was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during the battle. The official notice of this award in the '' London Gazette'' of 1 November 1940 said he had, "led his section with coolness and judgment against the enemy on many occasions. He has destroyed six of their aircraft besides damaging several more." On 8 November he was sent on an Instructor's course at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

. He was promoted to flying officer with effect 9 December 1940. In April 1944 he was posted to AFU

Wheaton Aston Wheaton Aston is a small village in Staffordshire, England about 9 miles south west of Stafford and 7 miles west of Cannock. It is located beside Bridge 19 of the Shropshire Union Canal. The civil parish is called Lapley, Stretton and Wheaton ...

, and in July to AFU

Ternhill Tern Hill, also known as Ternhill, is a village in Shropshire, England, notable as the location of the former RAF Tern Hill station, which is now operated by the British Army as Clive Barracks. The settlement is named after the River Tern whic ...

. He served with 41 OTU in September, then 8 (Coastal) OTU at

Dyce Dyce ( gd, Deis) is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, situated on the River Don about northwest of the city centre. It is best known as the location of Aberdeen Airport. History Dyce is the site of an early medieval church dedicated to the 8 ...

. Flying Spitfire IX EN662 on 18 December 1944 on a high level photographic sortie, Crook was seen to dive into the sea near

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. He was officially listed as

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

. When collecting his belongings they found a bible and a copy of "the wind in the willows" by Kenneth Grahame on his bed. A few days earlier he had celebrated his thirtieth birthday.

Memorials

He left a widow, Dorothy Margaret Crook, of Shrewsbury,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. His name is displayed on the Battle of Britain Monument in London, and a plane flown by Crook is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Writings

Crook wrote an autobiographical work about his experiences during the battle entitled ''Spitfire Pilot'', published by Faber and Faber in 1942. A portrait of Crook by official RAF artist Captain

Cuthbert Orde Captain Cuthbert Julian Orde (18 December 1888 – 19 December 1968) was an artist and First World War pilot. He is best known for his war art, especially his portraits of Allied Battle of Britain pilots. Family background Orde was born on 18 D ...

was reproduced on the frontispiece. Crook also wrote ''Pursuit of Passy'', a work of fiction about an RAF pilot who crashes in France and joins the Resistance, published in 1946 by Herbert Joseph. Crook's flying log book is stored at

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

in Kew, and is available for public viewing. A new paperback edition of his memoir Spitfire Pilot was published by Greenhill Books in October 2021. The new edition includes an introduction by the British historian Richard Overy, a Preface by the author's daughter Rosemary Lloyd, and an article by Air Vice-Marshal A F C Hunter, Honorary Air Commodore of the No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron.

References

External links

BBC: People's WareBook version of Pursuit of Passy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crook, David Moore 1914 births Military personnel from Yorkshire 1940s missing person cases 1944 deaths Missing in action of World War II People from Huddersfield People who died at sea Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Royal Air Force pilots of World War II The Few

RAF career

Memorials

Writings

References

Further reading

External links