Harold Cooke DSM

[Toppers]

I am trying to find out what an acnestor of mine was awarded the DSM for.

COOKE, Harold, Chief Engineman, RNR, ES 1776, Victory, 21 October 1918, illness

Now I know HNS Victory was a depot in Portsmouth I believe?

This is his Grave in Hull:

http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=2674222

I am awaiting a letter from my Uncle not sure there is more info in it, but I cannot find how he recived it..

Can any one help please?

 

[leefer]

Hi Toppers....interesting,if you cannot find an answer on this forum then google The Great War Forum, register and post the same question under the Soldiers section...they will help you.
My guess is that being 1918 he died of Spanish Flu,..... this killed as many people as the war itself but seeing on his record it says ilness then i would say it has a good chance of being the Spanish Flu that got him.

Gibbo(on later)may do a newspaper search for you...maybe something about him in the Hull press seeing as he recieved the DSM.

Hope you get your answer.......

 

[Toppers]

Thanks looked everywhere, my only hope is my uncle hs more info, however in his email he says DSC not DSM

 

[leefer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Service_Cross_(United_Kingdom)

As this link shows unless he was an officer then it would not have been the DSC

It was open to other ranks later on.

 

[Toppers]

no he was a Cheif Engineman as it says. I cannot find any reference to him any where except about his death.

 

[davelambert271]

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive....basicsearch=harold cooke 1918&frontpage=false

3rd entry

Looks as if there may be a write up here, over 1000 words. You will nee to log in etc

dave

 

[leefer]

In that case more likely a DSM.

 

[davelambert271]

Have you seen the 1891 census - RG12-3942-143-35

dave

 

[Toppers]

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive....basicsearch=harold cooke 1918&frontpage=false

3rd entry

Looks as if there may be a write up here, over 1000 words. You will nee to log in etc

dave

Nope thats not him its some one called Harold not my guy....

doing myhead in now

 

[leefer]

no he was a Cheif Engineman as it says. I cannot find any reference to him any where except about his death.

It also says DSM and not DSC

 

[Toppers]

yes I know I was orignally working on my uncles email he is 90!!!!

 

[leefer]

yes I know I was orignally working on my uncles email he is 90!!!!

Good on him.....should give him the OBE.:biggrin:

 

[Toppers]

this is his story of Dunkirk out of interest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDvzPswKgVM

 

[Toppers]

oh and I found how he got his DSM in 1916, for minesweeping operations.....

 

[leefer]

this is his story of Dunkirk out of interest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDvzPswKgVM

Good that.....as for your minesweeper.....sad he died so close to the end of the war.
My great uncle Jack Ferris died at a very similar time

http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/652340/FERRIS, J

 

[gibbo]

Hi

Seems like you found about as much as i have on your Harold :biggrin:

Hope the link works, yell out if it doesnt.

London Gazette

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29886/supplements/8

 

[p.risboy]

Looks like the medal was for mine sweeping.

 

[Toppers]

well my uncle has set me another challange for the son of the above Harold, also called Harold!!

He was on HMS Centaur in the Dar es salam mutiny thing. Now he says he was a Lt Commander in the Fleet Air Arm when it got there in 1964 having worked his way up from being a a fleet air arm gunner/radioman joining in 1936. I can hardly wait for the info my Uncle is sending me sounds like a massive package on the Cooke side of the family (my mothers side, she married my dad called Crook!!)
any one help again or do I need a seperate thread?