Regimental Sergeant Major 48th Highlanders of Canada 1972 – 1979
Dave Crook’s eulogy by BGen (Retd) Greg Young:
There are far too many distinguished individuals and representatives from various organizations, so if you will allow me – Ladies and gentlemen, family , comrades, Highlanders and friends of RSM CWO David Crook ,CD.
The number of people who have gathered here today to pay their final respects to Dave Crook speaks to the esteem in which this man is held by all who served with him, knew him or knew of him. Shakespeare wrote “all the world’s a stage. And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts.”
Dave certainly played many parts and he played them all exceptionally well. Husband, father, grandfather, soldier, RSM, sailing captain, veteran, mentor, Highlander, friend. I consider it a very great privilege to have been asked by Dave’s family to speak on behalf of all those who knew Dave through the military, especially those from his beloved Regiment, The 48th Highlanders of Canada.
This is quite a task as his military life spanned a considerable period of time – 36 years – and the 48th do not have an exclusive claim to Dave’s time in uniform, so do 2 RCR, 2 PPCLI, and the Toronto Scottish. Many of the people in Dave’s military life are in the ranks here today on his final parade. Regardless of how long you knew him or how close you worked with him while in uniform or out of it, each of you will have your own memories and stories of Dave. I can only hope that some of my comments will help us all recall this exceptional man; this soldier’s soldier; this forever faithful Highlander. There will be time for each one of us in our own way to mourn Dave’s passing and collectively as a military family we are here today to support Dave’s family.
But today is also very much about paying tribute to a comrade in the time honoured tradition – and tradition was something that was very much part of the fibre of Dave Crook. It is also about celebrating our time with him and acknowledging his service and the impact that he had. And I am certain that Dave would insist that today, at some point, should also be about comradery and story telling and yes over a beer or two.
Dave came to the 48th in 1967 but prior to that he had been a cadet in the Toronto Scottish for five years before enlisting with the Canadian Army Special Force in 1951 serving with 2 RCR and 2PPCLI. He was immensely and justifiably proud of his US Presidential Unit Citation which the Patricia’s were awarded for their actions at Kapyong, Korea. Many of you will have seen Dave recall his memories of those days when he returned to Korea as one of the veterans in Norm Christie’s documentary ‘In Korea’. I can recall listening to Dave honestly and with difficulty try to recall the confusion and haze of battle through the eyes of an 18 year soldier. In many ways His was the most believable portion of the documentary.
Following his release from active service in 1952, Dave returned to the Toronto Scottish and served with them until 1967 when as a WO2 he saw the light and transferred to the 48th. Five years later in 1972 Dave became the RSM, a position he held for 7 years before retiring in 1979. Although I had known Dave since his arrival at the 48th, for me as young Sgt Maj and a great many others here, it was during his years as RSM that we really came to know Dave and to be shaped by this man that we referred to simply as ‘The R’. It was of course our abbreviation for RSM but it was to us much more than that – it was one of those unofficial soldier’s terms of affection and respect that is used freely although almost never in the presence of the individual himself. It was never used again after Dave retired – there could be one “R”.
In the early 70s the Army and especially the Militia was undergoing quiet but significant change as the makeup of units underwent the inevitable generational changes that naturally occur over time and can often be a difficult thing for institutions steeped in tradition. By character, temperament, leadership style and background Dave was without question the right man and as RSM he was in the perfect position to balance the preservation of Regimental tradition with the realities of this new army.
Dave was RSM for seven years, considerably longer than the normal three year term. There is little doubt that the four Commanding Officers he served under benefited from his advice and counsel. And although the officers most certainly benefited from their exposure to RSM Crook, it was with the development of the enlisted ranks, most especially the Snr and Jnr NCOs, that he made his greatest impact on The Regiment – the effects of which remain to this day.
In the Regimental history written in 1991 Dave is included in a chapter on the Unit’s RSMs that the author titled “Men with Loud Voices”. Ironic because, other than on the parade square, I cannot recall RSM Crook ever raising his voice once. Not once – not ever. It’s not that he couldn’t – it’s that he didn’t have to. Dave was first and foremost a professional leader. He could motivate without the need to be coercive; he could discipline without resorting to humiliation; he understood the need for hard work to be tempered with fun; counselling and career development was a personal commitment; leadership was by example; and above all Dave knew how to listen – to borrow an Army phrase –‘ he knew how to put the radio on receive not permanent send.’
And so quietly and personally he lead and shaped not just that nucleus of senior and junior NCOs of the 1970s but through them several generations of new NCOs that would come to form the NCO backbone of The Regiment for years after he had left. Dave was in a way The Regiment’s version of Northern Dancer – from his line came six RSMs; two District and Brigade Sgt Majs; one Area Sgt Maj; and one General. I believe that everyone one of them would acknowledge the impact that Dave had directly on their careers and more importantly on their leadership style – which was Dave’s style – because Dave lead first and foremost by example. When Dave was RSM he still taught on summer recruit courses along with much younger instructors; he completed his scuba course with the young NCOs from the Unit; and he proudly completed the parachute course at 48 years of age. He provided what every young soldier, every young NCO, every young leader needs – a role model. So Dave’s impact reached well beyond the Regiment and into the broader Army Reserve.
Upon retirement in 1978 Dave and Jean left for the Caribbean where he captained his sail boat Dileas and ran a charter business in the US Virgin islands but even at a distance he maintained his link with The Regimental family. When he returned in the late 90s, Dave once again immersed himself in The Regimental family through the Old Comrades Association and especially the Continuing Sergeants Association and, true to form, he once again became the quiet mentor to a new generation of RSMs right up to the current serving RSM. He was actively involved in The Korean War Veterans and the Royal Canadian Legion and I have no doubt that both
of those organizations benefited substantially from his experience and active membership.
Contact with Dave obviously became less frequent after he retired. There were of course the Regimental functions that brought us back together on many occasions but somehow Dave kept us on his radar screen. In my case he managed to appear with his usual quiet and private words of encouragement when I took command of 32 Brigade; when I took command of the Area; before I deployed to Afghanistan; and he was a quiet but keen supporter of the 15th BnMemorial Project.
On Saturday morning when I learned of his passing I got out some old army photo albums and looked for pictures of those days with Dave. Among the pictures I found a yellowed piece of paper with a small speech I had written32 years ago when Dave retired as RSM. every word of it was true then and everything that Dave did since then makes them still true now. I would like to read a portion of that speech;
“the 48th Highlanders of Canada have had 22 RSMs and every one of those men reached that position because he excelled in his service to the Regiment. RSMs are a select group within any Unit; they are a well defined cut above the ordinary and there is no need to dwell upon their qualifications because to anyone in the military the very title RSM is synonymous with excellence. However, each RSM is also an individual and after seven years as the highest ranking Senior NCO it would be impossible to not leave some personal stamp on the Regiment and the men he served. The rank of RSM brings with it unquestioned authority and respect. But respect for the rank and respect for the man are not the same thing. One comes with rank upon promotion, the other has to be earned. There was never any doubt that Dave always had both. The stamp that he will leave behind more than any other will be that the lesson that authority must be tempered with understanding and that those who lead must also listen. He always made time for you and he never lectured. Dave gave real meaning to the phrase ‘The Regiment is a family’ because only true families listen to and respect all their members. Dave Crook never had our blind respect but he always had our complete respect.”
On Sunday I mentioned to a former 48th Officer living now living out West that Mr Crook had passed away. He wrote back” I joined The Regiment after Mr Crook had left but I knew of the legend.” Dave’s legacy isn’t left anywhere in words or stone – it was left in the people he touched. If you are looking for any evidence of it – just look around this Church.
