11 JUNE 1921, Page 3

We much regret to record the death of Mr. Will

Crooks last Sunday. There was no more popular figure in Poplar. MI Poplar, indeed, is in mourning. Often though we disagreed with Mr. Crooks in the days of his activity as a Labour member, we always recognized in him the perfectly honest man who loved his fellow-men as much as he was loved by them. And he was a true patriot. His chief strength was the unusual combination of the comic spirit with idealism. His speeches to his constituents were a treat. He was an admirable story teller, he was full of fun, and he was a good mimic. Every speech was a " turn." But the countless turns " he did in Poplar never disguised the fact that he was in the best and fullest sense of that simple phrase " a good man."