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Remembered Today:

Look Up - Northumberland Fusilier


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Hi all,

I am working on a book and the original author has annotated that he saw his name on Tyne Cot memorial but I cannot find him using CWGC database online.

Wilfred Cook - he has given his number in the narrative as #6668946 further in the book he relates to someone calling him by #21235

I can find one Wilfred Cook on the NA medal index cards assigned to 1st Northumberland Fusiliers -

Medal card of Cook, Wilfred

Corps Regiment No Rank

1st Northumberland Fusiliers 21235 Private

Royal Engineers 361437 Private

West Yorkshire Regiment 18845 Private

Any suggestions welcome - it may be I missed it as the DB seems very slow tonight or was he mistaken or is it possible since the 1980's the name has been removed?

Cheers,

Ryan

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Ryan. 21235 Wilfred Cook on Ancestry has his MIC marked "to reserve 9-3-1919" so he is not the man. Tyne Cot has a Windham Cook Northumberland Fusiliers could this be the one ? . No Cooks on Soldiers Died that may be of help. Ralph.

PS 6668946 seems a extremely long number.

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Ryan. 21235 Wilfred Cook on Ancestry has his MIC marked "to reserve 9-3-1919" so he is not the man. Tyne Cot has a Windham Cook Northumberland Fusiliers could this be the one ? . No Cooks on Soldiers Died that may be of help. Ralph.

PS 6668946 seems a extremely long number.

Thanks - couple of pointers.

In the diary or rather document he actually cites 21235 so I know that is him. He also did not die so the MIC is correct.

The "issue" I have is that he says he saw his name on Tyne Cot when he revisited but I too have checked CWGC to no avail. It may be a confusion as his name or at least W Cook could be up on the same panel as other members of his Regiment so he assumed it was him?

The service numebr for Windham Cook also does not match 21235 right?

And yes I too was puzzled by the number cited in the opening text of the document 6668946 -

Ryan

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Ryan,

Don't know if this helps much, but 18845/21235/361437 Wilfred COOK's service record is on Ancestry (25 images, though most are there in duplicate, and indexed as 18845 Royal Engineers).

Address 32 Cemetery Rd, Holbeck, Leeds, son of John and Jane Ann, occupation Printer, PoB Trimdon Grange, Co. Durham

Enlisted 18845 WYR at Leeds 13/3/15 age 19y 3m

Posted 3/WYR 17/3/15

Transferred 3/NF 7/7/15 as Pte 21235

Posted [illegible] 13/7/15

Wounded 19/9/15

Posted Depot/NF 15/10/17 (after being wounded again, arm and buttock)

Posted 3/NF 31/12/17

Absent 6 days 30/1/18 - 4/2/18

Posted 12/13 604 BEF?? 26/2/18

Transferred 5 Field Survey Coy RE 23/4/18 & posted there next day as Spr 361437

Transferred Class Z 9/3/19

Service Summary:

Home 13/3/15 - 12/7/15

France 13/7/15 - 14/10/17

Home 15/10/17 - 25/2/18

France 26/2/18 - [incomplete]

Drop me a PM if you want the files.

Adrian

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Don't know where you chap's have got that NF number from but he is actually 65055 Pte Windham Cook, who served with VI Platoon, 'B' Coy, 12/13th Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers reported as MIA between the 12th & 18th April 1918. Formerly 41420 Pte Windham Cook, East Yorkshire Regt. He's the only 'Cook' from the NF on the Memorial the only other NF member being spelled 'Cooke'.

If the memorial register at the location is a modern reprint you will find they are dotted with many errors as the software process used to duplicate them cannot define certain characters or numbers.

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Don't know where you chap's have got that NF number from but he is actually 65055 Pte Windham Cook, who served with VI Platoon, 'B' Coy, 12/13th Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers reported as MIA between the 12th & 18th April 1918. Formerly 41420 Pte Windham Cook, East Yorkshire Regt. He's the only 'Cook' from the NF on the Memorial the only other NF member being spelled 'Cooke'.

If the memorial register at the location is a modern reprint you will find they are dotted with many errors as the software process used to duplicate them cannot define certain characters or numbers.

Thanks Graham, I'm not sure I understand what you are saying? I was trying to clarify that Wilfred Cook is Wilfred Cook and that 21235 is the right man - this all seems 100% correct. The remaining "issue" is why he would say in his narrative that he saw his own name on Tyne Cot. If Wyndham is a different man there should be no mistake.

So, if Wilfred is not listed on CWGC - may have been before the error was found - is it possible his name is actually engraved on a panel still? I guess there is only one way to find out and that is to go and take a look?

Chris - thanks for the notes on post 1920.

Cheers,

Ryan

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Ryan. According to the War Graves Project, who have photographed every name on the Tyne Cot Memorial only recently there is only one W Cook of the Northumberland Fusiliers on it and that is Windham Cook, definately NO others. I am sure your man saw what he thought was his name all those years ago. Ralph.

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Have to agree with Ralph on this one, that the Wifred Cook you mention mistook the "W.Cook" on the Memorial to be him. As Chris has already pointed out the number "6668946" is a post 1920's London Regt number, but what puzzles me even more is if a man were to be be serving with the NF during the war how did he forget his service number, which would be found on everything relating to him? I have two numbers(RN & TA) myself from my service days and still remember them both even though I left the RN in 1981 and TA in 2000.

On another note can you tell me which book you're referring too, thats causing the problem??

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Have to agree with Ralph on this one, that the Wifred Cook you mention mistook the "W.Cook" on the Memorial to be him. As Chris has already pointed out the number "6668946" is a post 1920's London Regt number, but what puzzles me even more is if a man were to be be serving with the NF during the war how did he forget his service number, which would be found on everything relating to him? I have two numbers(RN & TA) myself from my service days and still remember them both even though I left the RN in 1981 and TA in 2000.

On another note can you tell me which book you're referring too, thats causing the problem??

Hi Graham,

Yes I have yesterday (Sunday) come to the same conclusion upon all the evidence that as the panel at Tyne Cot will simply have said COOK W. my man in question simply thought it was him. I wanted to ensure this was the consensus.

Regarding the service number this manuscript was written sometime after (I think the 80's) from his own diary and as I pointed out earlier on the thread I did have two numbers. The longer number was used earlier in the script so simply a case of recalling the wrong number in terms of using it in right the context. I have edited the manuscript now to 21235 which has corrected this anomoly I had - and I have removed the footnote about him visiting Tyne Cot and seeing his name.

The book in question is "Men, Horses, Mud and Stew: The Little Fusilier's Great War" by Wilfred Cook. It should be out later in July.

Thanks to all for help/advice.

Cheers

Ryan

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Is it at all possible that when he visited he actually saw his own name. This being an error, he contacted the CWGC and it was removed?

Trust you are well

Steve M

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Is it at all possible that when he visited he actually saw his own name. This being an error, he contacted the CWGC and it was removed?

Trust you are well

Steve M

Hi Steve - good to hear from you!

Well, this was my initial thought hence the post after I checked CWGC. I thought there is no way to tell as the panel would still have said Cook W. - However if there were more than one Cook W listed then the service number is added. The only way to tell now would be to visit the panel at Tyne Cot and look to see if there is any way another name could have been under or above the current Cook W. - that would then give 100% I guess as the whole panel would not have been replaced for one error as we all know there are others and not just at Tyne Cot.

All the best

Ryan

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