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Update from the family:
We are saddened to report the passing in January 2022 of John Gordon Davidson Crookston, former LCol with the Canadian Armed Forces. Many of you might know him from his decades as a Canadian Forces officer, his occasional teaching at the Staff College in Kingston, Ontario; or his time serving as a Base Commander with the 4 Service Battalion in Lahr, Germany. Many more will know him from his decades of service as a civilian with the Department of National Defense.
He was a pleasant and gregarious man, who was easy to talk to and a genuine listener. As an engineer he never lost his love of thoroughness and attention to detail. He had a nice baritone singing voice and could play the banjo. He enjoyed simple pleasures and by the end of his life he had tasted hundreds of varieties of whisky. He passed peacefully in his sleep, after a long fight against COPD, and then a short fight against a difficult lung infection. He is survived by his wife Rose, his two sons Jeremy and Jonathan, and four grandchildren.
[updated 2023]
Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret'd) J.G.D. Crookston, CD2, P.Eng.
Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret'd) John Gordon Davidson Crookston, a native of Toronto, Canada, attended the University of Toronto under the Regular Officer Training Plan and graduated in 1964 with a BASc in Electrical Engineering. As a junior officer in the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, he saw service at Headquarters Air Materiel Command in RCAF Station Rockcliffe, 2 Field Workshop in Camp Petawawa, and the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Camp Gagetown, before being posted, in 1967, to the Federal Republic of Germany. After service with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Hemer and 4 Field Workshop in Soest, he returned to Canada in 1970 to become planning officer for the move of Land Ordnance Engineering training from CFB Kingston to the newly created Canadian Forces School of Aerospace and Ordnance Engineering at CFB Borden, and later to hold various training appointments in the School.
Upon graduation in 1972 from the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston, he was posted once again to Germany as Officer Commanding Maintenance Company, 4 Service Battalion. This was followed by a tour as the Logistics War Planner in Headquarters Canadian Forces Europe, after which he returned to Canada in 1976 as the Deputy Commanding Officer of 2 Service Battalion in CFB Petawawa. In 1977, he was posted to Ottawa and appointed Career Manager for officers of the Land Ordnance Engineering Branch. On promotion in 1978, he attended French language training in Ottawa. In 1979, he assumed responsibility for Army Weapon Systems Engineering and Maintenance at National Defence Headquarters. In 1982, he traveled once more on posting to Germany, this time as Commanding Officer of 4 Service Battalion. In 1984, he returned to Canada and held appointments as a member of the Directing Staff and as Senior Staff Officer Curriculum Coordination at the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto. From Toronto, he was posted to National Defence Headquarters Ottawa in 1987, where he joined the Defence Industrial Preparedness Task Force, which became the Directorate of Defence Industrial Resources (DDIR). He held a variety of appointments in the Directorate up to his retirement in 1990, with 30 years service, from the Canadian Forces.
On retirement, he competed for and received an appointment as a Commerce Officer 3 in DDIR. Over the intervening years, he has held a variety of appointments (industrial analyst, section head, team leader) in DDIR, which is now the Division of Industry and International Programs (DGIIP). In 1995/96, he accepted a one-year secondment as the Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel)'s representative to the Management, Command and Control Re-engineering Team, which group provided leadership and expertise to the re-engineering of the national and senior-level headquarters of the Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces. After the secondment, he returned to DGIIP as a senior industry analyst. Presently, as a member of the Directorate of Industry Relations, Analysis, and Policy, he continues to work in the interface between DND/CF and the Canadian Defence Industrial Base.
Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret'd) Crookston and his wife, Rose (Mesiano-Crookston), have two grown sons - Jonathan and Jeremy - and reside in Orléans, an Eastern suburb of Ottawa.
Orleans Little League [external link]
Crookston castle at Wikipedia [external link]
Crookston castle at http://www.ancient-scotland.co.uk/site.php?a=186 [external link]
Crookston Castle (The Crookstons):
In the 12th century, the estate in this area belonged to a Robert de Croc (hence Crookston). The castle probably dates from the 14th century and was held for several centuries by the Stewarts of Darnley. At one time the castle was unique in having a tower at each corner (the picture shows the only one which survives). The Stewart family was involved in a rebellion against King James IV in 1489. The king bombarded the castle using Mons Meg, causing considerable damage.
Mary Queen of Scots and her husband, Lord Darnley (who owned it at that time) may have stayed there and they may even have been betrothed in the castle. In 1757 the castle (by now a ruin) passed to the local Maxwells of Pollok. It was rescued from total demolition in 1847 and partly restored (rather crudely) to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria to Glasgow.
It was the first property to be gifted to the National Trust for Scotland.
A sales brochure for shares in the Brooks Steamer car company dated 1923. (Each picture is ~300 kilobytes - click for larger.)
