Algernon Burton Cooke

Algernon Burton Cooke was born on 12th December 1895 in Riccarton, a suburb of Christchurch, the main city on the South Island of New Zealand.  (Ten years later the population was just under 50,000).

In available records he is referred to as Algernon, Alfred, Albert and even Alexander and the family surname is either Cook or Cooke.   I have referred to him by the name on his birth certificate.

He was the first child of Alfred Ernest Cook and Maud Beatrice Wearn.  In the 1893 and 1896 electoral roll, Alfred's address was on Carlton Mill Road so it seems reasonable to suppose this was Algernon's first home.

Online photos of Carlton Mill Road for that period are hard to find - this is the best I could do.  I wonder if a reader can provide me with something better?

Algernon with Alfred and Maud

In the 1893 and 1896 electoral rolls, Alfred's occupation was given as clerk but around this time he was trying out as an auctioneer:

(Note "stock" is a synonym for livestock or cattle - from Lyttleton Times, 7 May 1896.  Three years later and he seems to have been an established auctioneer (from Lyttleton Times 9th September 1899):

The intervening year had been a tragic one for the family, though, as a younger brother, Ernest, had been born and died.

On 3rd June 1900 Alfred went out duck hunting with a friend.  The report of the court hearing says the two men were crouched down waiting for duck to fly past.  When they did, Alfred pointed them out, his colleague was aiming when Alfred unaccountably stood up as the other man pulled the trigger.  He was shot in the head at close range and died before reaching hospital.  The court could find no evidence of ill-feeling or a quarrel between them so the conclusion was a tragic accident.

A collection was also made to help Maud and Algernon, raising £760 (New Zealand has only used dollars since 1967 - cutting from Lyttleton Times 1st August 1900):

Having lost a child and a husband within a year, Maud's world must have turned upside down.  We don't know what she did but in 1904 she married again, this time to James Duncan McGregor, aged 28 and a businessman; his father had been the Inspector General of Hospitals for the New Zealand government.  Poor Maud!  James died of a heart attack on 12 May 1908 and she was widowed again.  Not only that; his premature death happened in Battleford, a small town in Saskatchewan, Canada so she was a long way from home - presumably this was a business trip rather than a holiday.

Again, there is a gap and we do not know where Maud was.  Algernon seems to have been continuing his education - now aged 13 he would have been at the Normal Training School in Christchurch.  I'm not certain this is the one he attended but it's a great Gothic building described as the Normal School, Cranmer Square (in 1885):

The next glimpse we have is of Maud marrying for a third time in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.  Her third husband was Matthew Bain Dickie, a manager of the Nobel Explosives Company.  This is from the Victoria Times of 6th February 1911:

Many thanks to all at the Victoria Heritage Foundation (who do great work preserving the beautiful buildings, see here) especially Jennifer, for identifying the building and providing a modern photo of The Manse:

Matthew was born and brought up in Milngavie and seems to have met Maud while in Canada with his work, but we do not know what she was doing there.  While James had died there, the place where they married is nowhere near where James died:

At this time, Algernon was definitely still at school in New Zealand - for example, the Lyttleton Times of 29th April 1911 reported on the award of life saving certificates:

His mother's choice of husband had profound consequences for 16-year old Algernon because his mother planned to make her new home in Scotland with Matthew.  On Census Day 1911 (2nd April), Matthew and Maud were counted at Belvoir in Milngavie, now  4 Garwhitter Drive, along with Matthew's sister, Susan.  (For local people, coming past Milngavie Station, at the junction with the A81 this is located straight on past Andiano's, up the Baldernock Road and on the left.)

We don't know how much of a say Algernon had in the decision for him to leave New Zealand, but we do know he did so later in 1912, seemingly in time to start at Glasgow High School.

Despite Belvoir being a beautiful and generous house, Matthew commissioned the building of a new house for the family on Boclair Road in Bearsden (or Hillfoot as it would have been called at the time).  This was called Roman Court (also Romancourt) and is now number 17.  I generally do not post photos of Bearsden addresses but the building is so distinctive I am sure local readers will recognise it:

It's not clear exactly when they moved in but Algernon joined the Arlington Baths in the west end of Glasgow in August 1912 and gave his address at Belvoir.  But Maud was pregnant and when baby Muriel was born on 6th October it was at Romancourt.  (Algernon was a talented swimmer - for this, more insights and great photos of him click here).

Matthew would have worked at the HQ of the Nobel Explosives Company at 195 West George Street in Glasgow; the main factory was at Ardeer on the Ayrshire coast.  While he was present for the birth he was away for several months in 1912 in Canada having travelled on the liner Mauretania.

In 1914 war broke out in early August and on the 27th of that month Algernon enlisted ("attested") in the Scottish Horse Yeomanry.  His papers describe him as follows:

He was initially assigned to the HQ Squadron of 2/2nd Battalion as a motor cycle despatch rider, and subsequently to the 1/2nd battalion.  The role of cavalry such as the Scottish Horse was problematic at this time - an essential feature of an army for thousands of years, the machine gun and then trench warfare considerably reduced their role - yet generals wanted cavalry to exploit an infantry breakthrough (that never came).  Nobody seems to have known quite what to do with the Scottish Horse units, so they were assigned to coastal defence in the north of England.  In a search online I can find no photos of the Scottish Horse with horses after 1914 and wonder if they were ever 'mounted'.

In early 1915 the first of the volunteer battalions recruited in August 1914 were being sent to France.  We can only imagine Algernon's frustration as he read of this, first taking messages between troops on coastal defence and then in hospital recovering, because on 2nd April he suffered a bad break to his leg (fractured right tibia).  He was admitted to the 1st Northern General Hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the leg was treated surgically on 14th April and he was on a hospital ward 15th May.  He was then sent to a convalescent home until 24th June, a total of 83 days.

The hospital was located in recently completed buildings in the centre of Newcastle, now part of the university.  (An excellent site provides further details - click here.)

By September he was judged fit to return to duty but he had literally missed the boat because his original battalion, the 1st/2nd Scottish Horse together with the 1st/1st, had embarked on ship from the UK on 17th August bound for the fighting Gallipoli, Turkey (Suvla Bay).  They were used as infantry rather than cavalry and 120 men were killed (about 10%) before they were evacuated on 28th December 1915 for Egypt.

Now a member of 2/2nd Battalion, Scottish Horse, Algernon seems to have resumed his duties, although he would probably have thought of it as kicking his heels.  His orders were to rejoin his old battalion and he travelled to Devonport for the voyage, leaving on 31st January 1916 and arriving in Alexandria on 14th February.

The surrounding were more exotic but the duties may not have seemed much more exciting.  As part of 1st Dismounted Brigade within 52nd (Lowland) Division, the main task was to defend the Suez Canal area against possible Turkish attacks from across the Sinai.  Algernon was in the specialist signals unit so could still have been a despatch rider.

In August he applied for a commission (to become an officer).  Letters were exchanged between staff officers with one expressing concern about his health: as recently as May that year he had been admitted to hospital for three days (27th to 30th May) with the cause stated as 'old fracture'.  In response, Algernon's commanding officer vouched for him and noted that last week he came second in the 100 yard sprint at the battalion sports day.

In October he transferred to the machine gun company and then seems to have attended a 'cadet school' (officer training course) in Zeitoun, a suburb of Cairo.  Once again, we have to guess at his frustration as the battalion sailed for fighting in Greece (Salonika) on 21st October, a few weeks after he left, now reformed as 13th (Scottish Horse Yeomanry) Battalion Royal Highlanders (Black Watch).

At the end of the month he was in hospital again, this time for tonsilitis and it was over three weeks before he was fit to be discharged (31st October to 23rd November).

At some point around the end of 1916 or start of 1917 he must have returned to the UK.  On 19th January 1917 Lance Corporal Cook was transferred to the General List, which I interpret to mean he was for reassignment to another duty but it is not until 24th May, now as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant, that we find the next mention of him, joining the Royal Flying Corps (renamed the Royal Air Force in 1918).  

Naturally he was sent to a training squadron but it is a surprise (to me at least) that only 47 days later (just over six weeks) he was assigned to 57 Squadron (10th July) for active duty. Three years after volunteering, he would soon hear the first shot fired in anger.

The squadron he joined had been re-equipped with AirCo DH4s in May and would have the joint role of bombing and reconnaissance.  They re-entered battle in June, based at Boisdinghem.

This map shows the location of the airfield, just to the west of Saint Omer.

This is a sketch of the airfield provided by the mayor for the 49 Squadron Association website (click here) and here is the same area today:

This is an artist's rendition of what DH-4s in 57 Squadron markings looked like under attack from German fighters:

I don't know the name of the artist - if anyone can tell me I would be delighted to credit them and provide a link to their work.

Algernon made good progress and was well-regarded - the photo below shows him with an Australian pilot and friend, Arthur Drinkwater:

Only ten weeks after joining the squadron (on 2nd October), Algernon he was promoted to Captain and made a Flight Commander (around six men at this rank per squadron).  Before then he escaped seeming uninjured when his plane was shot down in a bombing raid on 20th August.  The report says "controls shot away and machine wrecked on landing ... engine under water".  This took place at St Eloi, south of Ypres.

He was on leave from 6th to 20th October and travelled back to Scotland because a teacher reported he had visited the High School of Glasgow.

He was less fortunate on 27th October when he was wounded in the head and in hospital for five days.  

The 20th November was the first day of the Battle of Cambrai, a new British attack further south from Ypres.  Bomber squadrons like number 57 would have been detailed to attack targets linked to this such as German supply depots or railway yards.  On the day before, the officers of the squadron assembled for a photo:

On the 20th, Algernon and his observer took off from Boisdingheim at 10.40am and climbed into the cloud (which began at 200 feet).  Eight minutes later their plane was seen spinning through clouds with the starboard wing buckled back, seemingly as a result of a structural failure.  It hit the ground, and there were no survivors.

I cannot find a record of the crash site but this is a Google Earth view of the airfield in 2024:

The view is from above Boisdinghem village looking east.  The airfield is bright green triangular field in the foreground.  We know the crash was visible from the airfield so could have been in this area.

Here are The telegram (21st November) and letter (23rd November) to his mother:

Algernon and his co-pilot were taken to a hospital at St Omer to be confirmed dead.  They were then buried in what would become the Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery near St Omer:

When CWGC took over the cemetery, the cross was replaced with a headstone:

The man who died with him, Stuart Coppard, has a sad memorial, "A dearly loved and only child".  Algernon's inscription is the barest minimum - initials, no age and no message.

Maud would probably have received notification in Romancourt.  She now had two children by Matthew, Alan having been born in 1916.  However, because of his war work he spent most weeks in London, only returning at the weekend so it must have been a lonely life.  Indeed, they were divorced in 1924.

Arthur Drinkwater survived the war and a simple Google search reveals several sites which discuss his career - but on his Wikipedia page I noticed that of nine German planes he was credited with having shot down, two were on 21st November, the day after Algernon's death.  I wonder if he was particularly motivated to revenge his friend?