William Ernest COOK

William Ernest COOK Update Details

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COOK, William Ernest

Service Numbers:	Not yet discovered
Enlisted:	9 August 1915
Last Rank:	Lieutenant
Last Unit:	28th Infantry Battalion
Born:	Camberwell, Victoria, Australia, 26 July 1891
Home Town:	Perth, Western Australia
Schooling:	Perth High School, Western Australia
Occupation:	Accountant
Died:	Killed In Action, France, 26 March 1917, aged 25 years
Cemetery:	Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France (Special Memorial D. I.)
Memorials:	Wembley Downs Hale School Honour Roll 1, Wembley Downs Hale School Memorial Grove

World War 1 Service

9 Aug 1915:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 28th Infantry Battalion
1 Apr 1916:	Involvement 28th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: ''
1 Apr 1916:	Embarked 28th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Fremantle
18 Mar 1917:	Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 28th Infantry Battalion
26 Mar 1917:	Involvement Lieutenant, 28th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 28 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-03-26

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Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks

William Ernest Speechley Cook was born in Camberwell Victoria on the 26 July 1891, along with his twin brother, Hugh John Munro Cook. Apparently he preferred to be called Ernest so his initials weren't W.C.

Their Dad was John Joseph Cook who was from the Camberwell area. Unfortunately, their mother Louisa died of tuberculosis during October 1893, when the boys were only 2 years of age. When Louisa died, the Cook family went to live with her mother, Kitty, in Camberwell. The twins had two older sisters and Dad, John Joseph Cook apparently decided to have go at gold mining in Coolgardie during 1894. In 1898 he had returned but was killed in a cycling accident, fracturing his skull when crashed descending a steep hill in Balwyn Victoria. The twins were still only six years of age.

Kitty, their grandmother was now caring for all the children, and she moved to Perth in 1899. The family was well reasonably well off as the boys had good educations at Perth Boys School and Perth Technical School.

Lieutenant W.E. Cook joined up in August 1915 and was quickly made a Second Lieutenant. He was promoted to Lieutenant just prior to being killed by a shell near Lagnicourt on 26 March 1917. His twin brother survived the war, Major H.J. Cook M.C. M.I.D. 16th Battalion AIF.

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