Sydney Crookshank
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Major-General Sir Sydney D'Aguilar Crookshank KCMG CB CIE DSO MVO (3 June 1870 – 17 August 1941) was a British military engineer who served with the Royal Engineers in the British Army and the British Indian Army. Most of his early career was spent in colonial service; he later served as a senior officer during the First World War.[1]
As a temporary lieutenant colonel he was Commander, Royal Engineers (CRE), of 47th (1/2nd London) Division on the Western Front from 30 July 1915 to 27 November 1916.[2][3][4] On 21 May 1916 in the Vimy sector the Germans fired a mine and attacked the division's positions in overwhelming numbers. The situation was so critical for a while that Crookshank brought his Sappers of 47th (2nd London) Divisional Engineers up to man the trenches as infantry.[5][6] He was awarded a Distinguished Service Order on 3 June 1916.[7] In January 1917 he was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general and made a chief engineer[8] of XV Corps.[9]
Later, as a major general he was appointed Director-General (Transportation) of the British Armies in France on 19 March 1918.[10]
After the war, Crookshank was appointed Honorary Colonel of 47th (2nd London) Divisional Engineers on 3 March 1923.[11][12]
Notes
[edit]- ^ 'CROOKSHANK, Maj.-Gen. Sir Sydney D'Aguilar', at Who was Who.
- ^ Becke, Pt 2a, p. 69.
- ^ Edwards, Appendix G.
- ^ Maude, Appendix D.
- ^ Edmonds, pp. 216–8.
- ^ Maude, pp. 54–5.
- ^ Edinburgh Gazette, 5 June 1916.
- ^ "No. 29996". The London Gazette. 23 March 1917. p. 2861.
- ^ https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/story/72901
- ^ Becke, Pt 4, p. 12.
- ^ Edwards, Appendix F.
- ^ Monthly Army List.
References
[edit]- Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56), London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8.
- Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 4: The Army Council, GHQs, Armies, and Corps 1914–1918, London: HM Stationery Office, 1944/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-43-6.
- Brig-Gen Sir James E. Edmonds, History of the Great War: Military Operations, France and Belgium, 1916, Vol I, London: Macmillan,1932/Woking: Shearer, 1986, ISBN 0-946998-02-7.
- Maj D.K. Edwards, A History of the 1st Middlesex Volunteer Engineers (101 (London) Engineer Regiment, TA) 1860–1967, London, 1967.
- Alan H. Maude (ed.), The History of the 47th (London) Division 1914–1919, London: Amalgamated Press, 1922/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2002, ISBN 1-84342-205-0.
- Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 accessed 19 Aug 2014
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