Pte Thomas Cookson, 1/4th Bat. Loyal North Lancs Regiment

[Guest GemmaH]

Remembering my husband's Great Grandfather, Private Thomas Cookson of the 1/4th Battalion, Loyal North Lancs Regiment, who died aged 40 on 27th October, 1918, in a field hospital at Boulogne, three days after being injured in combat in Belgium. Thomas is buried at Terlincthun Cemetery, Wimille. Thomas left behind a wife and four daughters.

Pte Cookson's widow, Elizabeth, at the official opening of Terlincthun British Cemetery. Picture supplied by Andrew at Skylark Battlefield Tours, who was fantastically forthcoming with all he knew about Pte Cookson when I found this photograph by chance, on his website.

[jay dubaya]

Rest in Peace Thomas

[jbw541]

[C_O_L_I_N]

[Stephen Nulty]

From the Battalion history.......

"At 2 a.m. on the 23rd (October 1918), we drove off an enemy counter-attack, but at 4 30 a.m. a strong counter-attack delivered from the flank with the strength of about two Companies forced our posts to withdraw from the wood.

There was a thick fog at the time of the attack, and, communications having broken down, no assistance was forthcoming from our artillery. The Officer Commanding B Company, however, immediately organised Company Headquarters and a Platoon of A Company and delivered a quick counter-attack, which, whilst it was not successful in regaining the wood, effectually managed to establish us some little distance our side of the wood.

We were relieved by the 2 3th Lancashire Fusiliers about midnight.

Second Lieutenants Chambers and Blount and 33 Other Ranks were missing, one Other Rank killed, and 25 Other Ranks wounded. We moved into billets at FROIDMONT, where Battalion Headquarters had to change their location, being shelled with mustard gas. Seven Other Ranks were wounded."

I can't see the name of the wood anywhere, but it is referenced as "O 33 b and d" so perhaps some other more knowledgeable pal can identify that location.

EDIT - Just noticed that he was with "A" Coy so would probably have been part of the aforementioned counter-attack

[Guest glendowlin]

I have just come across the picture of Thomas Cookson's widow at the cemetery in France which is poignant for today.

Thomas was my great uncle - brother of my grandfather. The picture you have of him I presume is taken from Ancestry. It is one I put on and it is part of a picture of the whole family. It shows Thomas with his ten brothers and sisters and their widowed mother and was taken about 1899. Perhaps we could share information.