Description
William Crooks was born at Sheffield, Yorkshire in 1873 and attested at Leicester on 24 September 1892. Posted to Jamaica on 17 January 1894 with the 1st Battalion, he was still with them when they joined the Natal Field Force in South Africa under General Penn Symonds.
Arriving in December 1895, the Battalion was present at Talana in 1899 when the Anglo-Boer War began. They were in reserve for the Battle of Talana but saw heavy action at the Battle of Ladysmith on 30 October. They were on station throughout the siege and were later in on the action at the Battle of Belfast.
Posted to the Army Reserve on 1 August 1902 in Pretoria, he remained in service for several years before being discharged on 23 September 1904; sold together with copied medal rolls and service papers.
