 Brooke pulled himself together to play a farewell season at Belfast, and his last performance as Richard III on 23 December 1865 was enthusiastically received.He left Plymouth for Australia on 1 January 1866 in the SS "London", which went down in a storm ten days later.Brooke toiled bravely at the pumps of the sinking vessel, and when all hope was gone was seen standing composedly by the companionway.