The Methodist Women’s Luncheon Club met at the Comis Hotel, Mount Murray, on February 20.

Mrs Pauline Brew entertained us with an interesting talk ’Crookall and The Jane’.

Arthur Binns Crookall was born in 1872 to parents from Blackpool who had a boarding house on Douglas Prom.

His was a very ordinary background with no higher education.

He married Jane Callow and together they ran a restaurant in Victoria Street.

He stood for MHK and at the outset of the First World War he was employed as the Government caterer for Knockaloe, the prisoner of war camp in Patrick, when it opened in 1914. He organised the bringing in of supplies by horse and petrol wagon.

Costs of the camp and the vital railway trips were borne by the government.

Good organisation meant oats unloading straight onto wagons for the camp. Potatoes came from Ireland and a bakery and the cooking of meat ran efficiently within Knockaloe.

In 1915 the Knockaloe railway opened.

Crisis was caused when the Cunard liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat in 1915 with the loss of 1,000 lives.

Many internees in Knockaloe were put there for their own safety. There numbers had risen to 23,700 by 1917.

Apparently 30 vessels were sunk by the Germans but the Isle of Man boats which were bringing in supplies to the Knockaloe camp were not attacked.

Dietary orders were laid down by the Home Office and Mr Crookall checked it all meticulously, weighing each item daily and recording it.

Meat, margarine, vegetables, syrup and jam were provided.

Scarce meat was replaced by herring and horse meat; flour came from Kirk Michael and a convenient store for internees was arranged in the camp.

Joseph Garside MHK watched and reported to Mr Crookall on general camp standards.

Prisoners in bell tents once rioted over grievances and food standards, turning over tables.Five were killed, some injured while guards put up a brave defence.

Mr Crookall had 180 tonnes of food to deal with and the problem of meat going off. Worms appeared in the herrings.

There were two outbreaks of food poisoning. Corned beef was supplied in 6lb tins. It is heartening to hear at the war’s end the verdict of the authorities and the general public was that Mr Crookall’s hard work had been very satisfactory, meriting a large award.

In 1921, Mr Crookall, to become recognised as an astute and hands on politician, entered the House of Keys.

In 1922 his wife Jane died at only 50 and the following year he married her sister.

His successful business interests embraced a strong share in the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company; the buying of a Ronaldsway farm, land at Derbyhaven and two other land holdings for his sons. The poorest children of Douglas had benefitted each Christmas from his kind gifts.

In the early 1920s awareness grew of so many mothers and babies dying in childbirth. Henry Bloom Noble had already launched a project for educating midwives. The memorable Dr Dorothy Pantin arrived to raise awareness in the island to the sad plight of many women with the death of one in a hundred mothers.

Conditions of fever and bleeding with overcrowding in family beds and poor food from childhood were stressed.

The crying need for change brought £200,000 of Government funding for a maternity wing for Noble’s hospital but funds dried up with a decline of visitors to the island.

Mr Crookall now stepped in, offering his own money for the buying of 29 Demesne Road and the construction of the Jane Crookall Maternity Home, strongly supported by Dr Dorothy.

Many of us remember her and the Pantin family well.

In 1927, the building, handed to well trained midwives, provided hygienic surroundings with free places for poor mothers. There were 680 in ’The Jane’ and by 1932 only one death in childbirth. By 1938 only 36 out of 10,000 died. Fear of death from complications had almost disappeared.

In 1935 Mr Crookall died suddenly at 62 leaving £10,000 in his will for the new home.

Purpose built, it needed £7,500 more and the rest of his family found the money.

The Manx newspapers were lyrical in their praise of Mr Crookall.

The year 1939 saw the building officially opened by Lady Leverson Gower, the island Governor’s wife, the Queen Mother’s sister.

The notable stork statue was erected.

A donation of £600.00 per year led, by 1944, to reserves of £4,000.

In his will Mr Crookall also left a legacy to the poor children of Douglas who had benefited from his yearly Christmas gifts.

He was a true Methodist who lived up to his principles.

Mrs Brew showed slides illustrating the contemporary, thoughtful running of ’The Jane’, its furnishing of iron beds and radiators, the chef and cooking facilities and descriptions of food consumed.

We also saw the Crookalls’ lovely house, Woodlands.

There was viewing of the original Knockaloe farm field’s camp storage buildings which are now lived in as little houses with extensions behind. An interesting plaque made by the Anglo- German history society dated 1914-19 adorns a wall in the grounds.

An appreciative vote of thanks was given to Mrs Brew by Elaine Christian.

Our annual general meeting is to be held on Wednesday, March 20, at 12.30pm at the Comis hotel.

Pat Freeman