245
CROKER—CROLE—CROOKE.
This officer entered the Navy, 21 Sept. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Kangaroo 18, Capts. Edw. Brace and Geo. Christopher Pulling; and, between that period and the year 1801, saw much active service on the Irish and Mediterranean stations, including the expedition to Egypt and the capture of a fort and convoy at Oropesa. He then joined, as Midshipman, La Carrère frigate, Capt. Fred. Lewis Maitland, under whom he continued, in the Loire and Volontaire 38’s, and Emerald 36, until 1807. During that period Mr. Croke assisted at the capture, 16 March and 17 Aug. 1804, of the French privateers Braave of 16, and (after a running fight of 15 minutes) Blonde of 30 guns; was under fire of the batteries in Muros Bay, when they were gallantly stormed and carried, and the privateers Confiance and Bélier taken, by the boats under Lieut, the late Sir Jas. Lucas Yeo, 4 June, 1805; aided, on 25 of the same month, in capturing another privateer, Le Vaillant, of force similar to the Blonde; was in company, 24 Dec. following, with L’Egyptienne frigate, at the capture, after an obstinate resistance, of La Libre of 40 guns; and conveyed, in July, 1806, to Sir Rich. Keats, off L’Orient, intelligence which led to the capture of Le Rhin of 44 guns. On his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 14 March, 1807, Mr. Croke assumed command of the Chub schooner; and, after assisting at the reduction of Martinique, he was removed to thai of the Shamrock 10, which vessel he had the misfortune to lose, on Cape St. Maria, 25 Feb. 1811. We subsequently find him appointed – 2 Sept. 1811, to the Royal William, Capts. Robt. Hall and Geo. Fowke, guard-ship at Spithead – 10 July, 1812, as First, to the Crocodile 28, Capt. Wm. Elliott, on the Guernsey station – 4 Aug. 1812, in a similar capacity, to the San Domingo 74, flag-ship on the coast of North America of Sir John Borlase Warren – 28 Feb. 1813, and 22 April, 1817, to the command of the Canso schooner, and Pigmy cutter, in the former of which he won the thanks of Rear-Admiral Geo. Cockburn for his services on the coast of Georgia, where he witnessed the capture of St. Mary’s – 7 April, 1823, to the Astrea, Capt. Wm. King – and, 24 Nov. 1823, 31 July, 1833, and 31 Jan. 1836, to the successive command of the Emulous, Pandora, and Express packets, on the Falmouth station. His attention during that period to the British and native inhabitants of different places he visited procured him their thanks and a memorial in his favour to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Mr. Croke resigned command of the Express in 1840, for the purpose of attending to private matters of importance; and has not since been afloat. We should have noticed that, when in the San Domingo, this officer was successively appointed by Sir John B. Warren to the command of the Kangaroo and Colibri sloops; which appointments, however, owing to some informality, were not confirmed.
He married Mary, daughter of John Smith, Esq., of Falmouth, by whom he has issue four sons and four daughters.
CROKER. (Commander, 1825. f-p., 17; h-p., 25.)
Charles Croker is sixth son of the late Edw. Croker, Esq., of Ballynagarde, co. Limerick, by Margaret Anne, youngest daughter of Rich. Hare, Esq., and sister of William, first Earl of Listowel. He is brother of Lieut.-Colonels Rich, and Wm. Croker, and of the late Albert Croker, who died First-Lieutenant of the Cambrian frigate in Jan. 1826.
This officer entered the Navy, 23 July, 1805, as Fst-cl. Vol., on board the Topaze 38, Capt. Willoughby Thos. Lake, on the Cork station; removed, with the same Captain, in Feb. 1807, as Midshipman, to the Gibraltar 80, part of the Channel fleet; and, in April following, joined the Alceste 38, Capt. Murray Maxwell, in the Mediterranean. He was present in Dec. of the same year at the surrender of Madeira to the British; served as a Volunteer in the boats, with Lieut. Allan Stewart, at the capture, 4 April, 1808, of seven Spanish tartans, under the very muzzles of the guns in the batteries at Rota; contributed to the destruction of several vessels and martello-towers on the coast of Italy in May, 1809; witnessed, in June of the same year, the reduction of the islands of Ischia and Procida; landed, while in company with the Belle Poule 38, and aided in destroying, 5 May, 1811, a French national brig lying in the harbour of Parenza, and defended by a galling cross-fire from two batteries;[1] and, independently of other important and hazardous services, bore a part, 29 Nov. 1811, in an action of 2 hours and 20 minutes, fought with consummate gallantry, between the Alceste and the Active 38, on one side, and the French 40-gun frigates Pauline and Pomone on the other, which terminated in the capture, of the Pomone and escape of the Pauline after a loss had been occasioned to the Alceste of 7 men killed and 13 wounded. Returning home in the autumn of 1812, Mr. Croker joined the Clarence 74, Capt. Henry Vansittart; and, while next commanding a gun-boat on Lake Ontario, he was created a Lieutenant 17 Dec. 1814. He invalided home in March, 1815; and was subsequently appointed – 8 Aug. 1818, to the Redwing 18, fitting for the St. Helena station – 14 Sept. 1821, to the Carnation 18, Capt. John Edw. Walcott, in which sloop he proceeded to Jamaica – and, 19 Feb. 1824, as First Lieutenant, to the Icarus 10, Capt. John Geo. Graham. On 20 Aug. following Mr. Croker took command of a hired Spanish launch and of the boats of the Icarus, and was officially praised for the judicious and spirited manner in which he captured, off the Havana, a large piratical schooner called the Diableto, mounting 6 guns, and manned with about 50 men.[2] He was promoted, 4 Oct. 1825, to the command of the Bellette 18; and, since his return to England in 1826, has been unemployed.
He married, in 1830, Miss M. Crowe, of Byblix, co. Cork, and has issue.
CROLE. (Captain, 1828. f-p., 18; h-p., 23.)
Charles Crole is a relative of the late Earl of Egremont, Captain R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 June, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Chiffonne 36, Capt. John Wainwright, in which frigate he attained the rating of Midshipman in Aug. 1807, and served, on the Mediterranean and East India stations, until Aug. 1811. In Nov. 1809 we find him participating in an attack on the pirates of the Persian Gulf, where the town of Ras-al-Khyma, their principal stronghold, together with all the shipping in the port, and a considerable quantity of naval stores, was set on fire and destroyed. Until the receipt of his first commission, 20 Oct. 1813, Mr. Cole further served on the Home station on board the San Josef 110, successive flag-ship of Sir Chas. Cotton and Lord Keith, and Royal Sovereign yacht, Capt. Wm. Hotham. His next appointments appear to have been – 27 Nov. 1813, to the Rodney 74, bearing the flag off Lisbon of Vice-Admiral Geo. Martin – 5 Aug. 1814, to the Araxes 38, Capt. Geo. Miller Bligh, fitting for the West Indies – and, 20 Nov. 1817, to the Sybille 48, in which ship he officiated as Flag-Lieutenant, on the latter station, to Sir Home Popham and- Sir Chas. Rowley. He assumed command, 6 May, 1822, of the Icarus sloop, and removing, 19 July following, to the Surinam 18, continued in the West Indies until 1825. His last appointment was, 9 Nov. 1827, to the Columbine 18, on the Halifax station, where he attained Post-rank 26 Jan. 1828. Since that date Capt. Crole has been on half-pay.
CROOKE. (Commander, 1815. f-p., 12: h-p., 34.)
Charles Henry Crooke entered the Royal Naval Academy 2 Jan. 1801; and embarked, in 1804, as Midshipman, on board the Phoebe 36, Capt. Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel, in a boat belonging to
