Air Marshal David Manson Crooks, (8 December 1931 – 9 March 2022) was a senior commander of the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

. He was Chief of the Air Staff from April 1983 to October 1986 and Chief of the Defence Staff thereafter until 1987 when he retired. Crooks was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1969 Queen's Birthday Honours, and a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

in the

1985 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1985 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

. Crooks retired from the

in 1987. In retirement he served on the board of the RNZAF Museum Trust. He died in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

on 9 March 2022, at the age of 90.

References

1931 births 2022 deaths Royal New Zealand Air Force air marshals Chiefs of Defence Force (New Zealand) New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Companions of the Order of the Bath People from Rangiora New Zealand military personnel of the Vietnam War {{NewZealand-mil-bio-stub