Nicholas Gresham Cooke

Flight Lieutenant Nicholas Gresham Cooke, DFC (26 August 1913 – 31 May 1940), nicknamed "Lanky", was a Royal Air Force pilot and Second World War flying ace most notable as an ace in a day. He was killed in action over the Dunkirk evacuation beaches.

Nicholas Gresham Cooke
"Lanky" Cooke (2nd from left), Phil Hunter DSO (3rd left) standing, with No. 264 Squadron
Birth nameNicholas Gresham Cooke
Nickname(s)Lanky
Born(1913-08-26)26 August 1913
Norfolk, England
Died31 May 1940(1940-05-31) (aged 26)
English Channel, off Dunkirk, France
Commemorated on
the Runnymede Memorial
Missing (Unknown)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1936–1940
RankFlight Lieutenant
Service number37652
UnitNo. 264 Squadron RAF
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross

Early life

Cooke was the son of Arthur and Lucy Vivien Cooke of Up Hall, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. His father was Dr Arthur Cooke, F.R.C.S.,[1] senior surgeon to Addenbrooke's Hospital,[2] and a brother was Roger Gresham Cooke, MP.

He was educated at Marlborough College and Trinity College, Cambridge.[3] Following this, he became an aeronautical engineer and learned to fly with Air Service Training Limited gaining a Civil Pilot's Licence (No. 12947) on 15 July 1935.[4][5]

The following year, Cooke joined the Royal Air Force and passed out from the Royal Air Force College Cranwell as an acting pilot officer on 23 March 1936.[6] On 10 January 1937, he joined No. 46 Squadron RAF, a recently re-formed fighter squadron, flying Gloster Gauntlet Mark II aircraft, from RAF Digby in Lincolnshire.[5][7] On 24 February 1937, he was confirmed as a pilot officer.[8] On 15 August 1938, he was posted to No. 23 Group RAF based at Grantham, Lincolnshire, as personal assistant to the commander, Air Vice Marshal Lawrence Pattinson, and was promoted to flying officer on 27 August 1940.[9][10]

Wartime service
A pair of 264 Squadron Defiants.

When No. 264 Squadron RAF was re-formed at RAF Sutton Bridge in October 1939, Cooke joined as a flight commander, to fly the Boulton Paul Defiant.[5] An unusual fighter for its era, the Defiant had a single engine and was armed with four Browning .303 Mark II machine-guns, in a rear turret operated by an air gunner but had no fixed forward firing guns.[11] In early operations, the Defiant was often mistaken for the similar shaped Hawker Hurricane by German pilots who dived to attack from above and behind, into the blind spot of a Hurricane but directly into the fire from the Defiant turret.[12][13]

On posting to No. 264 Squadron, Cooke teamed up with 348039 Acting Corporal Albert Lippett, a married 37-year-old RAF veteran originally from Great Yarmouth, who lived at Dunfermline. Lippett had joined the RAF aged 17 and completed a 12-year engagement before discharge, only to rejoin for four more years in 1935–39. He had been working in an aircraft factory until he was recalled for service in September 1939. On 12 May 1940, operating over the Dutch coast, Cooke and Lippett shot down a Heinkel He 111 bomber and on 27 May 1940 they joined several other Defiants to destroy another over Dunkirk.[14][15][16] They had a big success at about 15:15 hours on 29 May 1940, in two patrols above the Dunkirk beaches, when they shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 twin engine fighter and then five Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers at about 19:30 hours.[17][18] During the afternoon, they joined in the destruction of two Junkers Ju 88 bombers, which brought their score to nine victories and three shared.[5][5][18][19][20][21][22]

Two days later, while in action over the Dunkirk beaches against a formation of Heinkel He 111 bombers and escorting Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, their flight of Defiants was attacked and Cooke and Lippett's Boulton Paul Defiant Mark I (serial number L6975), was shot down.[23] Both men were lost when it crashed into the sea and were listed as killed in action.[24][25][26][5][27][28][29] He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. A memorial was later erected to Cooke at Blakeney in Norfolk.[30][31]

Honours and awards
Defiant Mk 1

In May 1940, this officer acting as a flight leader, was responsible for shooting down eight enemy aircraft during the course of two patrols.

This airman was air gunner in the aircraft piloted by Flight Lieutenant N. G. Cooke on the occasion when he destroyed eight enemy aircraft in the course of two patrols during one day. By his coolness and good shooting he shares the credit of this achievement.

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See also

References
  1. "Marriages", The Times, 19 July 1934, pg. 17
  2. "Obituaries", The Times, 15 March 1933, pg. 16
  3. Glasgow Herald, 15 June 1940, p. 7
  4. Ancestry. Royal Aero Club Aviators, 1910–50
  5. Shores (1994), p.190
  6. "No. 34272". The London Gazette. 7 April 1936. pp. 2284–2285.
  7. RAF List, July 1938, column 332
  8. "No. 34376". The London Gazette. 2 March 1937. pp. 1418–1419.
  9. RAF List, August 1939, column 215–220
  10. "No. 34564". The London Gazette. 25 October 1938. pp. 6637–6638.
  11. Bull 2004, p. 71
  12. Green 1961, p. 12
  13. Winchester 2005, p. 16
  14. Foreman (2003), p.36
  15. Franks (1983), p.56
  16. Foreman (2003), pp.69–70
  17. Franks (1983), p.100
  18. Foreman (2003), pp.73–74
  19. Franks (1983), pp.92–94
  20. Foreman (1996), p.79
  21. Thomas (2012), p.25
  22. Al Bowers, Al; Lednicer, David. "Fighter Pilot Aces List". Air War College. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  23. Shores (2000), p. 190
  24. Barker (1997), p.35
  25. Reading Room Manchester. "Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Nicholas Gresham Cooke". cwgc.org. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  26. Reading Room Manchester. "Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Albert Lippett". cwgc.org. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  27. Franks (1983), p.217
  28. "264 Squadron Patrol over Dunkirk-Calais. Friday, 31st May 1940 – The War in the Air – WW2 Talk". ww2talk.com. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  29. Franks (1983), p.129
  30. "Blakeney Memorial to Nicholas Gresham Cooke DFC". airfieldinformationexchange.org. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  31. Mary Ferroussat (22 March 2008). "Norfold War Memorials Project | Part III: 1939–1945" (PDF). Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  32. "No. 34873". The London Gazette. 14 June 1940. pp. 3621–3622.
  33. "No. 34873". The London Gazette. 14 June 1940. pp. 3623–3624.

Bibliography
  • Bull, Stephen (2004). Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9781573565578.
  • Green, William (1961). War Planes of the Second World War: Fighters. 2. London: Macdonald & Company. OCLC 601569501.
  • Franks, Norman (1983). The Air Battle of Dunkirk. London: William Kimber. ISBN 0-7183-0349-0.
  • Franks, Norman (1997). Royal Air Force Fighter Command Losses. 1. Earl Shilton: Midland Counties. ISBN 1-857800559.
  • Foreman, John (1996). The Fighter Command War Diaries. Walton-on-Thames: Air Research. ISBN 1-871187-34-6.
  • Foreman, John (2003). RAF Fighter Command Victory Claims. Part One. Walton-on-Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 0-9538061-8-9.
  • Shores, Christopher (1994). Aces High. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-898697-00-0.
  • Thomas, Andrew (2012). Defiant, Blenheim and Havoc Aces. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-1849086660.
  • Winchester, Jim (2005). "Boulton Paul Defiant". The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books. ISBN 1-904687-34-2.
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