Part 49

=COOK, WILLIAM GEORGE=, L.-Corpl., No. 1916, 1/5th Battn. The Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of Alfred Henry Cook, of Bank Cottage, South Ascot, by his wife, Mary Jane, dau. of William Rew Maunders, of Bristol; _b._ Warfield, co. Berks, 25 May, 1890; educ. Rangleigh Elementary School, Windsor Forest; was a carman for Mr. Corbett, Builder, Bagshot; joined the Surrey Territorials, 19 Feb. 1909; volunteered for foreign service after the outbreak of war, and was sent with his battn. to Lucknow, where he was promoted L.-Corpl. In May, 1915, a call was made for a draft of men from the 5th Queen’s to join the 2nd Norfolks, then engaged in operations in the Persian Gulf, and Cook was one of those who volunteered. He was drowned in the Tigris, 6 Aug. 1915, when on duty; _unm._; an officer wrote that he was one of the best of their N.C.Os. and that he “was full of keenness at his work and cheeriness on the march, and an excellent example of smartness both on and off duty.”

=COOKE, ALBERT EDWARD=, Coy. Sergt.-Major, No. 8455, 1st Battn. Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., _s._ of Edward Cooke, of 35, Langton Street, Cathay, Bristol, retired Army Warrant Officer and Barrack Master, late M.W.D., India, by his wife, Elizabeth Catherine, dau. of W. Davis; _b._ Bareilly, India, 6 Sept. 1889; educ. Military School, India, and Secondary School, Gloucester; enlisted in the 1st Battn. Duke of Cornwall’s L.I. 20 Aug. 1906, and served seven years with the Colours and then passed into the Reserve. He held the Army Acting Schoolmaster’s certificate, and as long as the rules permitted he had charge of the Depot Military School at Bodmin, Cornwall. On leaving the Army he joined the City of London Police Force, and was attached to the Clock Lane division until called up on the outbreak of the war, 5 Aug. 1914. He was killed in action in France on 4 June, 1915; _unm._ The officer commanding (Lieut.-Col. M. Turner), 1st Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., wrote that he “Was killed in action early yesterday morning (Friday). He was accompanying the company commander, Capt. B. Woodham, D.S.O., round the trenches--the night was a very dark one--and was shot in the head, dying shortly afterwards. The medical officer informs me that he could not have felt any pain whatever, which may be a comfort for you to know. I myself had known your son for some years, and he was at Bodmin with me when I commanded the depot. His loss is very deeply deplored by all here--officers, N.C.O.’s, and men. He was one of the finest, if not the finest, N.C.O. in the battn., utterly fearless and daring, a splendid disciplinarian, and an all-round good fellow. He is a great loss to the battn. and to the country. He had been recommended by Major Canton (he was in command when I was home wounded) for a commission, and we are all sorry that he did not live to receive it. He was buried yesterday (Friday) afternoon in our regimental cemetery here, a charming little spot, and I and several officers and as many men as could be spared attended the funeral. I trust you will accept the deepest sympathy of the battn., of which your son was one of the best, in your bereavement. He died like a soldier for his King and country.” Of his three brothers, Lieut. J. H. Cooke, 11th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, was killed in action at the Dardanelles landing; Corpl. W. D. Cooke, of 5th Divisional Cyclist Coy., is now (1916) a prisoner of war in Germany; and Sergt. A. W. Cooke was (16 Sept. 1914 to 4 Jan. 1915) Drill Instructor to the 15th Gloucesters, and was then with the 13th and later with the 16th Battns., returning to Police duty 6 Jan. 1916.

=COOKE, JOSEPH HENRY=, Lieut., 11th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of Alfred Edward Cooke, of 35, Langton Street, Cathay, Bristol, retired Army Warrant Officer, and Barrack Master, late M.W.D., India, by his wife, Elizabeth Catherine, dau. of W. Davis; _b._ Dinapore, India, 26 Oct. 1882; educ. in Military Schools in India; enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1899, and served with them 12 years; went to Western Australia and settled at Wickepin; volunteered on the outbreak of war; was made Sergt. and later promoted Lieut.; served at the Dardanelles, and was killed in action there 2 May, 1915. He _m._ at Malta, Rosie (Wickepin, Western Australia), dau. of (--) Peffers, and had three children. His brother, Coy. Sergt.-Major A. E. Cooke, was also killed in action.

=COOKSLEY, ARTHUR GEORGE=, Gunner, R.M.A. 8388, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=COOLEY, FRANK=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9339), S.S. 106582, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=COOLEY, JAMES=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4035), S.S. 102438, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=COOLEY, WILLIAM JAMES=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./7606 (R.F.R., B. 880), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=COOLING, JOHN JOSEPH=, Private, No. 379, 2nd Battn. Australian Imperial Force, 2nd _s._ of John Joseph Cooling, of Windgates, co. Wicklow, by his wife, Sarah, dau. of Thomas Boyd; _b._ Windgates, 31 Jan. 1891; educ. Bray National School; went to Australia in 1910 and settled at Sydney. On the outbreak of war he volunteered and joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force in Sept. 1914, leaving for Egypt with the first contingent. He was severely wounded on 26 April during the historic landing at the Dardanelles, and was invalided back to Cairo, but rejoined his unit in July. Shortly afterwards he was reported as missing, and later was officially stated to have been killed in action between 6 and 9 Aug. 1915; _unm._

=COOLLEDGE, JOHN HENRY=, Leading Stoker, Ch./305541, R.F.R. B. 8475, 2nd. _s._ of Job Coolledge, of Purleigh, Essex, Shoemaker, by his wife, Sarah; _b._ Purleigh, 25 July, 1882; educ. there; joined the Navy in Sept. 1902, and was lost on H.M.S. Cressy, 23 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at Leigh-on-Sea, 29 July, 1911, Alice H. (4, Reginald Cottages, High Street, Leigh-on-Sea), dau. of Walter Carey; _s.p._

=COOMBES, ALBERT=, Private, R.M.L.I., 11496, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=COOMBES, ARTHUR ROBERT=, Private, No. 1920, 3rd Battn. Australian L.I., _s._ of James Coombes, of Hammersmith, by his wife, Emily; _b._ Hammersmith, 20 Jan. 1895; educ. St. Paul’s C.E. School there; joined the Australian Imperial Force after the outbreak of war, and was killed in the fighting at Lone Pine, Gallipoli, on 7 Aug. 1915; _unm._

=COOMBES, CECIL ROBERT=, Private, No. 4215, 14th Battn. (The London Scottish). The London Regt. (T.F.), 1st _s._ of James Robert Coombes, of 35, Knollys Road, Streatham, S.W., Madras Provincial Civil Service, late Presidency Magistrate, Madras, and Treasury Officer, Salem, by his wife, Camellia Ruth, dau. of Sergt. Stephen Pincott, 1st Madras Fusiliers; _b._ Cuddalore, South India, 18 March, 1897; educ. Champion Hill School, Denmark Hill (1905–6), Doveton Protestant College, Madras (1906–13), and Birkbeck College (1914); joined the London Scottish for Imperial Service, 2 Jan. 1915; went to the Front, 4 July, 1915; was severely wounded in the stomach in the attack on the Hohenzollern trenches during the Battle of Loos, 25 Sept. 1915, and died in the 2nd Field Ambulance the following day; _unm._ He was buried in the British cemetery at Vermelles. While in India, 1906–13, he was a Boy Scout, then a cadet, and finally a Volunteer in the Madras Volunteer Guards. A keen sportsman and shot, he was captain of Doveton College football and hockey teams, prefect of the school, and sub-editor of the school magazine. He had been selected and trained for the machine gun section, and successfully passed the snipers’ test, for eventual employment in that capacity.

=COOMBS, ARTHUR ERSKINE GURNEY=, Lieut., R.N., elder _s._ of Richard Samuel Gurney Coombs, of Church House, Oundle, by his wife, Kathleen Maria, dau. of Adolphe Philippe de Chastelain; _b._ Kensington, 3 Feb. 1888; educ. Oundle School; entered H.M.S. Britannia as a cadet, Jan. 1903, at the head of the list; appointed Midshipman, H.M.S. Ocean (China Station), April, 1904; transferred to H.M.S. Goliath (Mediterranean Station), 1905, and to H.M.S. Illustrious, March, 1907; appointed to Royal Naval College, Greenwich, for special course, April, 1908, and obtained four 1st classes; promoted Sub-Lieut. 30 July, 1908, and appointed to H.M.S. Dee (Destroyer), Jan. 1909; promoted Lieut. 30 April, 1909; appointed to H.M.S. Hindustan (Battleship), Sept. 1909, and to H.M.S. Dryad for navigation course, Jan. 1910; qualified as Lieut. (Navigating), and appointed to H.M.S. Essex (Cruiser), Aug. 1910, and to H.M.S. Blanche (Cruiser), Feb. 1911; transferred to H.M.S. Foresight (Light Cruiser), March following, and appointed to H.M.S. Diamond (Cruiser), Nov. 1912; and as Navigating Lieut. to H.M.S. Juno, Dec. following; appointed for first class ship’s course in navigation at Portsmouth, Jan. 1914, and obtained first place in examination; appointed Navigating Lieut. to H.M.S. Hawke, Feb. 1914, and was lost in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914, when that Cruiser was torpedoed. At the time of the attack Lieut. Coombs was on navigating duty on the bridge with the Capt. (Williams), and they remained there together until the ship sank. Coombs was subsequently seen in the water by survivors among the crew, but is presumed to have perished from the cold. He was _unm._

=COONEY, JOHN DANIEL=, Private, No. 2486, 6th Battn. Manchester Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of John Patrick Cooney, J.P., by his wife, Mary (Garranlea House, Cahir, co. Tipperary), dau. of Daniel Joseph Geary; _b._ Cahir, 20 Aug. 1889; educ. Rockwell College and Blackrock College, Ireland; enlisted in the Manchester Regt. on the outbreak of war, went with his battn. to the Dardanelles, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 29 May, 1915. He had been nominated for a commission, against his express wishes, just before his death; _unm._ Private Cooney played Rugby football regularly for the Manchester City Club and Lancashire County. He was a good boxer and a first-rate athlete, winning many prizes at 440 and 880 yards.

=COOPER, ALBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4085), S.S. 102471, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=COOPER, ALFRED=, Private, No. 9720, 2nd Battn. The Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.); served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action at Croix Barbée, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._

=COOPER, ANDREW=, Private, No. 14288, 4th Battn. The Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died at Zolobes, 14 Oct. 1914, of wounds received in action.

=COOPER, EDWARD WYNDHAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5932), 215711, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=COOPER, ERNEST=, Private, No. 10041, 4th Battn. Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 30 Aug. 1914.

=COOPER, ERNEST ROBERT=, Stoker, R.N.R., 1202T, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=COOPER, HANWAY=, Sub-Lieut., R.N., yst. _s._ of the late William Cooper, M.A. Oxford, by his wife, Marion (Gravel Hill, Boxmoor, co. Herts), dau. of the late Major James German, of Maywood, Sevenoaks, J.P., D.L., grandson of John Cooper, of The Oaks, Preston, co. Lancs, and great-great-nephew of Admiral Sir James Hanway Plumridge, who fought in the Crimea; _b._ Hampstead, co. Middlesex, 2 May, 1892; educ. St. Christopher’s School, Eastbourne, the Royal Naval College, Osborne (entered 12 Jan. 1905), and Britannia College, Dartmouth; and was promoted Acting Sub-Lieut. 15 Sept. 1912, and Sub-Lieut. 15 Nov. following. He served on H.M. ships Commonwealth (15 Sept. 1909–14 Sept. 1910), Rattlesnake (15 Sept. 1910–14 Nov. 1910), Warrior (15 Nov. 1910–4 April, 1911), Britannia (14 Sept. 1911–2 Sept. 1912, “a zealous, hard-working officer”), Dryad (3 Sept.-9 Oct. 1912), Circe (10 Oct. 1912–6 March, 1914, “has carried out the duties of executive officer with zeal and ability”), Pembroke (7 March–22 March, 1914), and Shannon (23 March–30 July, 1914, “a very capable and promising officer”), and on the outbreak of war was appointed to H.M.S. Monmouth. He was killed in the naval action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, when the Monmouth and Good Hope were lost with all hands, 1 Nov. 1914. Sub-Lieut. Cooper was to have been promoted to the rank of Lieut. 15 Nov. following his death.

=COOPER, HENRY=, Private, No. 10894, 4th Battn. Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died on active service, 4 Nov. 1914, of enteric fever.

=COOPER, JAMES HAMILTON=, Private, No. 8551, 2nd Battn. East Kent Regt. (The Buffs), _s._ of Alfred Cooper, of The Lilac, Plantation Road, Hextable; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died 29 May, 1915, of wounds received in action.

=COOPER, JOHN=, Fleet Paymaster, R.N., yr. _s._ of James Cooper Cooper, formerly Tuthill, of Cooper Hill, Clarina, co. Limerick, J.P., by his first wife, Mary, dau. of Charles Pickering, of Roebuck, co. Dublin; _b._ Cooper Hill, 4 July, 1869; educ. Burney’s School, Gosport; joined the Navy as an Assistant Clerk in 1886, becoming Paymaster in 1900, Staff Paymaster in 1904, and Fleet Paymaster, 1 Feb. 1908. He served in H.M. Yacht Osborne from 1899–1902, and was afterwards Secretary to Admiral Custance in the Venerable, and to Admiral Sir Charles Briggs in the Lord Nelson and the Dreadnought. He joined H.M.S. Monmouth, 1 Aug. 1914, and was lost in action when that ship was sunk in the Battle off Coronel, 1 Nov. 1914. He _m._ at St. Peter’s, Cranley Gardens, S.W., 5 June, 1905, Marguerite Sutherland (Chiltern House, Chesham), dau. of the late Capt. Francis Sutherland, Royal Scots Greys, and had three children: James Francis, _b._ 5 May, 1906; John Christopher, _b._ 15 May, 1907; and Elizabeth Mary, _b._ 20 Feb. 1909.

=COOPER, LEONARD GOSSE=, 2nd Lieut., 4th (Service) Battn. South Wales Borderers, yst. _s._ of Walter Percy Cooper, of Ambleside, Abergavenny, Managing Director of Seargeant Bros., Ltd.; _b._ Abergavenny, 15 June, 1892; educ. Llandovery College, and Jesus College, Oxford, where he won a classical scholarship and also a Goldsmith’s Exhibition, and was placed in the first class in Honour Classical Moderations in 1914. On the outbreak of war he applied for a commission, and was gazetted to the South Wales Borderers, 29 Aug. 1914, accompanied the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to the Dardanelles, and was killed in action 9 Aug. 1915; _unm._ He was buried in the 29th Field Ambulance Cemetery, at the mouth of the Aghyl Dere, Gallipoli, near Col. Gillispie and Major Sir Lennox Napier. Capt. C. E. Kitchen, commanding the C Coy., wrote: “It was early on 9 Aug. that the Turks attempted a surprise attack upon us where we were holding a very difficult position which we had not time to properly strengthen. My company had to occupy a rough knoll, covered with scrub, and in the semi-darkness it was very difficult to see the enemy. I immediately ordered up two platoons--No. 12 (your son’s) and No. 11 (Mr. Miller’s)--and was successful in keeping back the Turks. Unhappily Leonard, whilst gallantly leading and encouraging his men, was shot through the body, and passed away almost at once.” The regt. was congratulated by Sir Ian Hamilton for their conduct on this day.

=COOPER, STANLEY JAMES=, Armourer’s Crew, 228727, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=COOPER, THOMAS=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 14542, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=COOPER, THOMAS WILFRED=, Private, No. 12629, 4th (Service) Battn. South Wales Borderers, 2nd _s._ of George Cooper, of Joyford Hill, Coleford, by his wife, Jessie, dau. of George Taylor, of Joyford Hill; _b._ Coleford, co. Gloucester, 13 April, 1890; was employed at the Connop Collieries; volunteered and enlisted, Aug. 1914; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles from 29 June, 1915, to 10 Aug. 1915, on which latter date he was killed in action there; _unm._

=COPE, HARRY FITZGERALD=, Private, No. 81177, 8th Battn. (90th Winnipeg Rifles), Canadian Expeditionary Force, 3rd _s._ of Gilbert Augustus Cope, of Russell, Manitoba, Canada, Farmer, formerly of Tralee, co. Kerry, and Sydenham, co. Kent, Organist of St. Michael’s, Lower Sydenham, 1882–88, by his late wife, Annie, dau. of the late William Burley, of Hastings, Sussex; _b._ Kilmalkeader Farm, Russell Co., Manitoba, 8 May, 1896; educ. Londonderry, near Russell, and Russell High School; joined the 32nd Manitoba Light Horse on its formation in May, 1913; trained at Sewell, 1913–14; volunteered for overseas service on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, and was drafted to the 32nd Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, at Winnipeg; came over with reinforcements for the first contingent, 17 Feb. 1915; trained at Shorncliffe Camp; went to the Front, 29 April, 1915; transferred to 8th Battn., 8 May (his 19th birthday); wounded in the left shoulder in action at Givenchy, 21 June, 1915, by a piece of shrapnel, but remained in the trenches with his company; appointed Headquarters Runner to the Battn., 1 Aug.; killed in action at Ploegsteert, Belgium, about 11 p.m., 12 Sept. 1915, while repairing trench under fire, being shot near the heart. Buried in the 90th Rifles graveyard in Ploegsteert Wood; _unm._ Capt. L. Gysin wrote: “He had been so familiar and well-liked a figure amongst us, as he had always been a good soldier and seldom without a smile, that his death will be a great loss to us”; and Private C. Robin: “All the Russell boys, in fact all the boys who knew him, feel pretty bad. He was one of the best, always cheery and cool under fire.”

=BIDDLE-COPE, ANTHONY CYPRIAN PROSPER=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I., _s._ of James Cyprian Biddle-Cope, formerly of Broadwood Hall, co. Salop, by his wife, Marie Louise, dau. of Edward Angell Saunders; _b._ London, 9 May, 1889; educ. Barnabite College, Florence, Italy; and was afterwards a Cadet on H.M.S. Conway, where he received the King’s gold medal. He was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I., 10 Aug. 1910, and went to the Front with them on the outbreak of war. He was present when the general move of the British Army was made in Belgium and Northern France, and when the Germans made their first attempt to capture Calais, and was killed in action while saving the life of a friend, near Ypres, 26 April, 1915; _unm._ A Major of the 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I., in a letter to his family, wrote: “The death of your son was not a surprise to me, for I knew it must only be a question of time before he was either killed or wounded seriously enough to lay him up for the rest of the war, for he was one of the bravest men I have ever met. I knew him first at the depot at Shrewsbury, when he first joined in 1910, and even then I was so much impressed with his pluck and his constant desire to do his duty in everything that I used to say that if ever I went on service I should rather have him to help me in a tight place than any other young officer I knew. When we were out on the Aisne, if ever there was any dangerous job that required to be done he would volunteer to do it, and yet the way he carried it out showed that he had caution and sense besides mere pluck. When he was first wounded, on 23 Oct., he came up to me with his hand bound up, and was all for leading a bayonet charge in daylight. The day before that he had walked across an open space of 50 yards to bring me a message, with the bullets spattering all around him, and nothing I could say would make him wait till dark before going back.” Another officer, who was wounded in the same engagement as that in which Lieut. Biddle-Cope met his death, wrote: “During the fight round Ypres two companies were ordered with the machine guns to reinforce a regt. who were having a very had time. On arrival there some selected men of our company were ordered to take a trench held by the Germans, and I was one of the officers, and while waiting to move out of our trench to attack, Biddle-Cope came up and chatted with me and wished me good luck; and I left my stick with him till I came back. The order to advance was given, and we charged, and just before we got to the enemy’s trench Biddle-Cope rushed by at a terrific pace, and was shot as he got to the enemy’s trench. When just in front of me he fired two shots from his revolver, and I think was again hit. I dropped down beside him and fired at the German who had shot, him, but can’t say whether I hit him or not. I myself had damaged my knee so severely that I could not walk at the time, and I saw no use trying to do any more, so collected the few men left--about five at the moment--and crawled back in. Biddle-Cope was machine gun officer, and should not have been there, but I can only think that he saw things were going badly and came out to help me.”

=COPE, MICHAEL WILLIAM=, Private, No. 6317, No. 3 Coy. 1st Battn. 1st Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of the late Michael Brown Cope, of The Corner House, Castledermott, co. Kildare, by his wife, Isabella, dau. of John Brown, of Woodlands, Castledermott; _b._ Castledermott, 1 Sept. 1892; educ. there; went to Canada, 24 May. 1912, and after a few months in Arkona, Thedford, Ontario, with his uncle, George Brown, J.P., became a clerk on the Canadian Pacific Railway at Windsor, Ontario. On the outbreak of war he enlisted and came to England with the first Canadian contingent, and after training at Salisbury during the winter, left for the Front, 7 Feb. 1915. He was killed in action between Bethune and La Bassée on the evening of 1 June, 1915; _unm._ A comrade wrote: “He was killed in one of the most daring attacks of this war. It commenced at 6 p.m. The hail of bullets and shrapnel which swept over our parapet was perfectly ranged; it was suicide to show oneself over the breastwork, for the enemy were less than 75 yards away. In spite of all, not a man hesitated. The whole platoon, of which William was one of my best chums, crossed the parapet with our heads down and a muttered prayer. We made straight for the German lines. We dropped into shell holes for a breather, and I glanced back and saw half of the boys (chums all of them since leaving Windsor, Ontario) lying dead and wounded. William, I afterwards learned, suffered no pain; his death was instantaneous. We had many debts to pay--Ypres, Festubert--and we alleged together to form one terrible effort, which carried us to their third line. William was with us through all our trouble at Ypres and Festubert, and has won the love and respect of us all. There are but few survivors left of the willing bands that landed in France last February.”

=COPELAND, TOM=, Officer’s Steward, 1st Class, 357988, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=COPELAND, WILLIAM GEORGE=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 10384), 206235, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.