Private Thomas Victor Crook

Survivor of WW2

Date of Death:

Biography General Links Ranks Awards Chronology Print

Service Biography

Thomas Victor Crook was born in Valleyfield, Quebec, on 15 July 1907. A married mill fitter, he enlisted in Montreal on 27 June 1940 and served as a Private with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps in Canada and the United Kingdom. Recurrent bronchitis led to repeated medical treatment and his medical discharge on 2 December 1943. After the war he lived at Valleyfield, Barrington and Lacolle before moving to Arizona on retirement in 1958. He died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Phoenix on 12 July 1969 and was buried in Greenwood Memorial Cemetery.

General Information

Ranks

Conflict Rank Regiment Branch Unit Company Date From Date To
WW2 Private Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Army 1 Canadian Ordnance Corps / overseas establishments
Multiple UK attachments/postings are preserved in chronology rather than collapsed into one service event.
WW2 Private Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Army No. 4 District Depot
Returned to Canada and posted for medical disposition/discharge.
WW2 Private Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Army No. 4 Army Tank Brigade Company
Canadian postings included attachment/transfer activity before overseas service.
WW2 Private Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Army No. 4 District Depot
Initial Canadian service; later transferred to No. 4 Army Tank Brigade Company.

Awards

Conflict Award Action Date of Award Date of Citation Source
WW2 War Medal 1939-1945
WW2 Defence Medal
WW2 Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp

Service Chronology

1907-07-15 — Born in Valleyfield, Quebec. [Valleyfield, Quebec]
1940-06-27 — Enlisted at Montreal, Quebec, as a Private in the Canadian Active Service Force, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. [Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot, RCOC]
1940-10-23 — Transferred to No. 4 Army Tank Brigade Company, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. [Canada / No. 4 Army Tank Brigade Company, RCOC]
1941-01-09 — Admitted to hospital during Canadian service. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-01-23 — Discharged from hospital and returned to duty. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-04-20 — Admitted to hospital during Canadian service. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-04-30 — Discharged from hospital and returned to duty. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-05-05 — Transferred/attached for further Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps duty. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-06-05 — Transferred for overseas service with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-06-20 — Proceeded overseas to England with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. [England / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-07-07 to 1941-07-17 — Granted landing leave in the United Kingdom. [United Kingdom / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-07-20 — Posted/attached within the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps in the United Kingdom. [United Kingdom / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-08-16 — Admitted to hospital in the United Kingdom. [United Kingdom / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-08-18 — Discharged from hospital and returned to duty. [United Kingdom / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1941-1943 — Served through a series of RCOC postings and attachments in the United Kingdom; the service statement records numerous transfers between ordnance establishments and workshops. [United Kingdom / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1942-11-03 — Specialist and radiologist reports investigated recurrent head colds, cough and bronchial symptoms. [United Kingdom / Canadian Army medical services]
1943-05 to 1943-08 — Underwent repeated hospital and specialist investigation for respiratory illness and recurrent/chronic bronchitis. [United Kingdom / Canadian Army medical services]
1943-08-03 — Chest radiology for recurrent bronchitis found no major pathology apart from residual lipoidal material in the right lung. [England / No. 16 Canadian General Hospital]
1943-10-04 — Returned from England to Canada for medical disposition. [Canada / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1943-10-14 — Taken on strength in Canada for medical disposition. [Canada / No. 4 District Depot]
1943-10-19 to 1943-10-20 — Granted disembarkation leave following return to Canada. [Canada / No. 4 District Depot]
1943-11 — Medical board reviewed chronic/recurrent bronchitis and recommended discharge as medically unfit for further military service. [Montreal, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot]
1943-11-13 — Admitted sick to Longueuil Military Hospital. [Longueuil, Quebec / Longueuil Military Hospital]
1943-12-01 — Discharged from Longueuil Military Hospital. [Longueuil, Quebec / Longueuil Military Hospital]
1943-12-02 — Medically discharged at Montreal South as unable to meet the required military physical standards. [Montreal South, Quebec / Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps]
1945-03-31 — Wrote from Barrington, Quebec, seeking particulars concerning his war-service gratuity. [Barrington, Quebec / Department of National Defence correspondence]
1945-05-15 — Requested a service ribbon and star; the Army subsequently advised that he did not qualify for the 1939-43 Star. [Barrington, Quebec / Department of National Defence correspondence]
1945-06 — Reported a change of address from Barrington, Quebec, to Lacolle, Quebec. [Lacolle, Quebec / Department of National Defence correspondence]
1949 — Applied from Valleyfield for the medals to which he was entitled for 1939-45 service. [Valleyfield, Quebec / Veterans Affairs medal correspondence]
1958 — Moved to Arizona on retirement. [Arizona, USA]
1969-07 — Buried in Greenwood Memorial Cemetery. [Phoenix, Arizona, USA / Greenwood Memorial Cemetery]
1969-07-12 — Died at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, aged 61. [Phoenix, Arizona, USA / Veterans Administration Hospital]

Notes

Thomas Victor Crook was born in Valleyfield, Quebec, on 15 July 1907. He was married to Catherine Violet Dent and worked as a mill fitter before enlistment, including employment at Montreal Cottons in Valleyfield. Medical history records that he smoked about 30–40 cigarettes a day. After the war the family lived at Valleyfield, Barrington and Lacolle, Quebec. His obituary states that he moved to Arizona on retirement in 1958. He died in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Phoenix on 12 July 1969, aged 61, and was buried in Greenwood Memorial Cemetery.

[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]

Valleyfield resident, lived at 28 East Park
Thomas Victor Crook BIRTH 15 JUL 1907 • Valleyfield, Beauharnois-Salaberry, Quebec, Canada DEATH JUL 1969 • Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA
Marriage 27 Mar 1927 • Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Québec, Canada Catherine Violet Dent 1905–2001
Request confirmation number EA2026_0174242
Had recurrent/persistent bronchitis
By 1945 had moved from Valleyfield to Barrington to Lacolle, Quebec
Qualified for the CVSM with Clasp, defence Medal, no 1939-1943 Star
Served for 3 years 66 days
Canada 27 June 1940-21 June 1941, England 30 June 1941
items from P78, 80 not in chronology
smokes 30-40 cigarettes / day
Worked at the Montreal Cottons, Valleyfield, as a Millwright

Additional Service Notes

Enlisted 27 June 1940 and served as a Private with the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps. He served in Canada until June 1941 and then in the United Kingdom until returning to Canada in October 1943. Recurrent bronchitis, with repeated respiratory illness and hospital treatment, led to medical boards and discharge on 2 December 1943.

Additional Next of Kin Notes

Wife Catherine Violet (Dent) Crook was next of kin at enlistment. The 1969 obituary names surviving sons Victor of Phoenix and Terrence of Bristol, Tennessee; daughter Mrs. Joyce Richard of Canada; and ten grandchildren.

Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-30 02:05:04 by: marc