Thomas Cooke (soldier, born 1881)

Thomas Cooke, VC (5 July 1881 – 25 July 1916) was a New Zealand-born soldier who served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Thomas Cooke
Studio portrait of Thomas Cooke
Born(1881-07-05)5 July 1881
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Died25 July 1916(1916-07-25) (aged 35) †
Pozières, France
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Imperial Force
Years of service1915–16
RankPrivate
Unit8th Battalion
Battles/warsFirst World War
AwardsVictoria Cross

Born in Kaikoura to English immigrants, Cooke became a carpenter after finishing school. He moved to Australia in 1912, taking his young family with him, and settled in Melbourne. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1915. After training he embarked for the Middle East and on arrival was posted to 8th Battalion. Soon his battalion was serving in the Somme sector on the Western Front. He fought in the Battle of Pozières during which he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the VC for his actions in staying at his post in the face of a German attack.

Early life

Cooke was born in Kaikoura, in the Marlborough District of New Zealand, on 5 July 1881, to an Englishman, Tom Cooke, and his wife Caroline (née Cooper). Educated at Kaikoura District High School, the family later moved to Wellington where Cooke became a carpenter like his father. He also played the cornet and was part of a band. In 1902, he married Maud Elizabeth Elliott and the couple had three children, two girls and a boy. In June 1912, he moved his young family to Australia and settled in the suburb of Richmond, in Melbourne, where he worked as a builder.[1][2]

First World War

In February 1915, Cooke enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) for service abroad in the First World War. He was posted to the 24th Battalion as a reinforcement upon completion of his training at Broadmeadows[3] and embarked for the Middle East aboard the HMAT Commonwealth. His posting proved relatively short-lived for after he arrived in the Middle East, he was transferred to 8th Battalion.[1]

The 8th Battalion, as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Australian Division, arrived on the Western Front in April 1916 and was initially stationed in the Fleurbaix and then the Messines sectors. By this time Cooke had reverted to his original rank of private, having spent a period of time as an acting corporal. As part of the 1st Division, in mid-July, it was moved to the Somme sector for the upcoming Somme Offensive.[3]

On 24 July 1916, the battalion entered the Battle of Pozières. On 25 July, it was seeking to consolidate the Australian positions around Pozières. Cooke, operating a Lewis gun, was sent forward with his assistants to stabilise an unsafe section of the line. He and his companions secured the area but was exposed to long range machine-gun fire which soon accounted for all but Cooke. Even after running out of ammunition, he continued to man his post in the face of a German counterattack during which he was killed.[4] The battalion was withdrawn from the front lines two days later, having incurred 347 casualties.[3]

Cooke was recommended for the Victoria Cross (VC) for his actions of 25 July.[4] At the time, the VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest gallantry award that could be bestowed on a soldier of the British Empire.[5] The award of the VC to Cooke was gazetted on 9 September 1916 and the citation read as follows:

For most conspicuous bravery. After a Lewis gun had been disabled, he was ordered to take his gun and gun-team to a dangerous part of the line. Here he did fine work, but came under very heavy fire, with the result that finally he was the only man left. He still stuck to his post, and continued to fire his gun. When assistance was sent he was found dead beside his gun. He set a splendid example of determination and devotion to duty.

— London Gazette, 9 September 1916[6]
The Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, on which Cooke's name is recorded

Cooke's wife was unaware of the award of the VC to her husband until reading of it in newspaper reports.[7] The medal was eventually presented to her by Arthur Foljambe, the Governor-General of New Zealand, in a ceremony at Government House in Wellington on 31 January 1917.[8] His wife, who had returned to Wellington at the time of Cooke's enlistment in the AIF,[9] later remarried.[10] Cooke has no known grave and his name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial[4] and also on the war memorial in his town of birth, Kaikoura.[10]

Medals and legacy

Cooke's medals, which in addition to the VC included the British War Medal and Victory Medal,[7] are displayed at the National Army Museum at Waiouru in New Zealand.[3] In 2010, a newly built barracks building at the Linton Military Camp was named for Cooke; several of his descendants were present at the opening ceremony.[11]

Notes
  1. Pedersen, P. A. "Cooke, Thomas (1881–1916)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. Wigmore & Harding 1963, pp. 61–62.
  3. Gliddon 2011, pp. 113–115.
  4. Harper & Richardson 2007, pp. 136–137.
  5. Dennis et al. 1995, p. 612.
  6. "No. 29740". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 September 1916. p. 8870.
  7. "NAA: B2455, COOKE T". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  8. "V.C. Presentation". Sun (929). Press Association. 1 February 1917. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  9. "A New Zealand V.C." Sun (811). 15 September 1916. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  10. "Thomas Cooke". Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  11. Howe, Jonathon (24 June 2010). "Barracks named for VC recipient". Manawatu Standard. Stuff. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
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References
  • Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (1st ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. ISBN 0-19-553227-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gliddon, Gerald (2011) [1991]. Somme 1916. VCs of the First World War. Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-6303-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Harper, Glyn; Richardson, Colin (2007). In the Face of the Enemy: The Complete History of the Victoria Cross and New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: HarperCollins. ISBN 1-86950-650-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Wigmore, Lionel; Harding, Bruce (1963). They Dared Mightily. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 874450.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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