20. He was full of keenness and enthusiasm about it, as he was always

about everything. Just before midnight, before we started off, I met him in the dressing station, where he gave a letter to Dr. Kenny, our medical officer, asking him to send it to you by registered post if he was killed. The medical officer said ‘Nonsense,’ not to talk that way, as he would not be killed. Your husband replied cheerfully that it did not worry him a bit, only he wanted the letter sent if he were. After that we started off. He was ahead of me. About 12.45 I caught him up with my company, and gave him a lot of empty sandbags we had been carrying for his company. This was about 500 yards from the enemy’s trenches, and the bullets were flying about. I said ‘Good-night,’ wishing him the best of luck. He was very cheery and happy then. That is the last time I saw him alive. From Coy. Sergt.-Major Kershaw, whose home address is 22, Clarendon Street, Bradford, I got the following details. He was with your husband the whole time. At 2 a.m. they charged and captured the trench, any Germans who were in it running away; but after some time found they were being so hotly fired on into the trench from the right flank that they decided to fall back into a trench just behind. As they did this a young subaltern, named Buchanan, of the Irish Fusiliers, who was attached to A Coy., was badly wounded. As soon as your husband got his company into a trench behind, he, with the Coy. Sergt.-Major and a volunteer, went back under heavy fire and brought Buchanan into the trench. By the time it was 5.15 a.m., just daylight. At 5.30 a.m. the Sergt.-Major saw a lot of men retiring out of the left flank of the trench they were in, and went to see what it meant. Your husband followed him. They were walking along inside the trench, but your husband’s head must have been exposed (his height was 6 feet 4 inches), for a bullet came over the parapet and went right through his head. He knew nothing about it, but just dropped, death being instantaneous. It would seem almost as if he had a premonition of his death, as several times he repeated to his Coy. Sergt.-Major, ‘Be sure, if I am shot, that you bury me where I fall, as I am too big and heavy for the men to carry in.’ Up to the very end he was always thinking of others. He was buried as soon as it was dark on Monday evening, 15 March, in a little plot of ground on the left hand side of the road just as you leave the ruined village of St. Eloi for Ypres. This spot is exactly opposite the last ruined cottage on the right as you leave the village. We are going back to this post to-morrow evening for another eight days’ work. I am getting the Battn. Sergt.-Major--Sergt.-Major Shaw--who buried him, to point me out the spot, so that I will know should I ever return alive. I can then tell you exactly. A wooden cross with his name and regt. will be put up to mark the place. I am very glad to say I understand the commanding officer is recommending your husband for the D.S.O. for the good work he did that night.” He _m._ at. Bilton, near Rugby, 7 Dec. 1907, Winifred, dau. of the late Rev. Charles Frederick Cumber West, Vicar of Charlbury, Oxford, and had a son and three daus.: Charles Patrick Russell, _b._ 25 Feb. 1913; Peggy Winifred Isabel, _b._ 2 Aug. 1909; Honor Georgina Beatrice, _b._ 13 Sept. 1911; and Marian Elizabeth Hope, _b._ 12 Oct. 1914. [Illustration: =R. M. Bowen-Colthurst.=] =COLUMBUS, FRED=, Private, No. 912, D. Coy., 1st Newfoundland Regt., 2nd _s._ of Frank Columbus, of Shallop Cove, St. George’s Newfoundland, by his wife, Susan, dau. of Peter Benoit, of Flat Bay, Newfoundland; _b._ Shallop Cove aforesaid, 18 April, 1893; educ. Shallop Cove and Grand River, Newfoundland; was a Lumberman; joined the Newfoundland Expeditionary Force, 3 Jan. 1915; left for England in March, went to the Dardanelles, 19 Aug. 1915, and died at Alexandria, Egypt, 9 Oct. 1915, of wounds received in action at Gallipoli on the 1st (?); _unm._ Buried in the Chatby Military Cemetery at Alexandria. =COLVIN, ROBERT ALEXANDER=, Capt. and Adjutant, 2nd Battn. West Yorkshire Regt., _s._ of the late John C. Colvin, of Sutton Veney, co. Wilts: _b._ 5 Nov. 1889; gazetted 2nd Lieut. West Yorkshires, 18 Sept. 1909, and promoted Lieut. 2 July, 1909, and appointed Adjutant 1 Aug. 1913; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, and was killed in action on the Western Front, 12 March, 1915; _unm._ =COLYER, REGINALD JAMES=, Leading Seaman, 194323, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COMYN, WILLIAM NUGENT=, L.-Corpl., No. 119777, 2nd Battn. The Wiltshire Regt., _s._ of Francis Sarsfield Comyn, Master Mariner, by his wife, Eliza Jane (209, Alcester Road, King’s Heath, Birmingham), dau. of George Barber, and only gdson. of the late Capt. William Nugent Comyn, R.N. [descended from the Comyns of co. Clare]; _b._ Upton Park, London, 27 Feb. 1881; educ. privately in Birmingham; was independent; volunteered on the outbreak of war, and enlisted in the Wiltshires at Lavington, 8 Sept. 1914, trained at Weymouth; was promoted L.-Corpl. Nov. 1914, went to France 12 Dec., and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 12 March, 1915; _unm._ =CONDRON, EDWARD=, Stoker, P.O. (R.F.R., B. 8605), 295103, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =CONDUITT, ROBERT BRUCE=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Seaforth Highlanders, yr. _s._ of Henry Walter Conduitt, of 38, St. Alban’s Road, Edinburgh, late Examiner of Public Works Accounts, India, by his wife, Agnes Lennox, dau. of Robert Bruce; _b._ Allahabad, United Provinces, India, 13 April, 1890; educ. Edinburgh Academy and Fetter’s College, Edinburgh; was by profession a banker, and had been attached to offices in Scotland, Canada and India. He served in the Queen’s Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers for a year, and in the 4th Battn. Royal Scots (T.F.) for the same length of time, and joined the 14th Battn (London Scottish) The London Regt. 4 Aug. 1914, the day before the declaration of war. He went with them to France on 19 Sept. 1914, and served in the trenches throughout the winter of 1914–15. On 3 April he was given a commission in the Seaforth Highlanders, and joined on the 12th, being killed in action in the front line of trenches close to Neuve Chapelle four days later, 16 April, 1915. He was buried in the cemetery at Vieille Chapelle; _unm._ Capt. A. R. Baillie Hamilton, 1st Battn. Seaforth Highlanders, wrote: “Although he had only joined my company the day we moved into the trenches (12th), I saw a great deal of him during the few days, and I formed a very high opinion of him, and was congratulating myself on having such a nice lad posted to me. He seemed to get on exceptionally well with the men, and I have overheard several nice things said of him by them. He had the makings of a really efficient officer.” [Illustration: =Robert Bruce Conduitt.=] =CONGDON, RICHARD HENRY=, Stoker, P.O., 2nd Class (R.F.R., A. 1829), 123974, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =CONN, GEORGE DENHOLM=, Private, No. 24466, 13th Battn. (5th Royal Highlanders of Montreal), 3rd Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Neil Stalker Conn, of Stevenston, by his wife ... (Park Avenue, Brockville, Ontario, Canada), dau. of Robert Montgomery; _b._ Ardrossan, co. Ayr, 10 March, 1896; educ. Public School, Saltcoats; went to Canada, 10 March, 1911; enlisted in Aug. 1914, on the outbreak of war; left with the first contingent in Oct., and after training on Salisbury Plain during the winter, went to France in Feb., and was killed in action at the Battle of Langemarck, 24 April, 1915; _unm._ [Illustration: =George Denholm Conn.=] =CONNELL, GILBERT=, Private, No. 2387, 1/5th West Yorkshire Regt. (T.F.), 3rd _s._ of Joseph Connell, of 6, Barlow Terrace, Denison Road, Selby, Churchwarden at Selby Abbey, by his wife, Celia; _b._ Selby, co. York, 10 April, 1892; educ. Abbey Church School there; served his apprenticeship as a fitter and engineer at Messrs. Cochrane & Sons, Ltd., shipbuilders, Selby, and on the outbreak of war joined the 1/5th West Yorkshires in Sept. 1914. He was killed by a grenade at Ypres, 21 July, 1915, two Harrogate Territorials, who were in the trench with him, also meeting their death from the same explosive. He was _unm._, and was buried just behind the trenches. His commanding officer wrote: “He was an excellent and cheery soldier.” One of his brothers is at the Front, and the other has joined the Army. [Illustration: =Gilbert Connell.=] =CONNELLAN, PETER MARTIN=, Capt. and Local Major, 1st Battn. Hampshire Regt., only _s._ of Major James Hercules Fitzwalter Henry Connellan, of Coolmore, Thomastown, co. Kilkenny, J.P., D.L., formerly Hon. Col. 5th Royal Irish Regt. and Capt. Hampshire Regt., by his wife, Laura Elizabeth, dau. of Richard Ussher Roberts; _b._ Sale, co. Chester, 19 Feb. 1882; educ. Harrow, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 1st Hampshires (then in India), 8 Jan. 1901, being promoted Lieut. 30 Nov. 1903, and Capt. 9 May, 1907. He served in Aden, 1903–4, took part in the operations in the hinterland, and acted as signalling officer to the brigade under Brig.-Gen. Scallon with the Boundary Delimitation Commission, and was present at the attack by Arabs on the camp at Awabil; also in the expedition against the Kotaibis. He was Adjutant to the 1st Battn. Hampshire Regt., 23 Oct. 1906, to 22 Oct. 1909, and of the Hampshire depot and 3rd Battn. from 23 Jan. 1911, to Jan. 1914, when he rejoined the 1st Battn. at Colchester. The Battn. left for the Front in the 11th Brigade, 4th Division, in the third week of Aug. 1914, and was closely engaged in covering the British retirement from Mons, the Division earning the warm approval of the Commander-in-Chief. Capt. Connellan bore a very conspicuous part in holding the railway line near Caudry on 26 Aug., being under heavy fire all day in a most exposed position, also in the retirement on Ligny, and subsequent engagements. On 7 Sept. 1914, he was promoted Tempy. Major (a rank which he continued to hold until he fell), and given the command of his battn., which he retained during the engagements at the Marne and the Aisne. After being relieved by the French near Buez-le-Long on 4 Oct. the Brigade was engaged in the neighbourhood of Armentières, to the north-east of which Major Connellan fell (shot through the neck by shrapnel) on 20 Oct., when second in command of his battn. He was buried at Pont-de-Nieppe. Major Connellan was twice mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette, 9 Dec. 1914, and 17 Feb. 1915), and especially recommended for promotion and reward by his Brigadier, who described him as one of his ablest commanders and a born soldier. He was a keen sportsman, a fine rider, very fond of hunting and salmon fishing, also of games; was a member of the battn polo team, and a good player of hockey, tennis, Badminton, etc. He held the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society for saving one of the men of his regt. from drowning. Major Connellan _m._ at St. Thomas’ Church, Winchester, 18 Oct. 1911, Winifred (New Empress Club), 3rd dau. of the late Arthur Niblett, formerly of Haresfield Court, co. Gloucester; _s.p._ [Illustration: =Peter Martin Connellan.=] =CONNER, RICHARD=, Major, 2nd Battn. Gloucestershire Regt., 2nd _s._ of the late Capt. Daniel Conner, of Ballybricken, Monkstown, co. Cork, Royal Marine L.I., J.P., by his wife, Emily, dau. of Henry Steigen Berger, of 30, Cleveland Square, Hyde Park; _b._ Ballybricken aforesaid, 29 Dec. 1868; educ. St. Edward’s School, Oxford, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; received his commission as 2nd Lieut. in the Gloucesters, 11 Feb. 1888, and was gazetted Lieut. 3 July, 1889, Capt. 26 May, 1897, and Major, 25 Oct. 1907; served through the South African war, 1899–1902, took part in operations in Natal, 1899, including actions at Rietfontein and Lombards Kop (slightly wounded), and afterwards on Staff as Station Officer and as Commandant at Kaffir River Bridge, also in operations in the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, July, 1901, to 31 May, 1902, mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Queen’s medal with three clasps, and the King’s medal with two clasps; and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Dec. 1914, to 9 May, 1915, when he was wounded and taken prisoner at Ypres, and died in London, 7 Sept. 1915, after exchange as an incapacitated prisoner of war; _unm._ =CONNETT, HENRY=, Gunner, R.M.A. (R.F.R., B. 885), H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =CONNOLLY, EDWARD=, Corpl. No. 90396, R.F.A., 3rd _s._ of Thomas Connolly, of 16, Mary Street, Sunderland, Riveter, by his wife, Frances, dau. of Peter Patrick, of Sunderland; _b._ Southwick-on-Wear, 7 Nov. 1890; educ. National School there; was employed at Priestman’s, Sunderland; joined the R.G.A. (T.F.) and rose to the rank of Sergt., taking his discharge in June, 1914, as medically unfit; rejoined 16 Aug. following for the period of the war, and died of wounds, 12 Dec. 1915, received in a farmhouse near Ypres; _unm._ He was buried in O-Beal Cemetery. [Illustration: =Edward Connolly.=] =CONWAY, JOHN=, L.-Corpl. No. 73535, D Coy., 28th Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest _s._ of Patrick Conway, of Ivy Cottage, Ennistymon, co. Clare, ex-Sergt. Royal Irish Constabulary, by his wife, Hanna, dau. of William O’Sullivan, Bonane, Kenmare, co. Kerry; _b._ Iries, Castletownbere, co. Cork, 13 July, 1874; educ. Bantry and Castletownbere; enlisted in the Grenadier Guards about 1894, and served with the Sudan Expedition, including the Battle of Omdurman and the capture of Khartoum; and through the South African war, 1899–1902 (receiving three medals). He then went to Canada about 1906 and settled in Ottawa, and was working on the railroad, but on the outbreak of the European war joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, came over with the second contingent, and was killed in action in Belgium, 17 Oct. 1915; _unm._ He was in charge of a machine gun, when a shell fell within 15 yards of his post, killing him and three more instantly. His commanding officer, Major C. R. Hill, wrote: “He was a splendid soldier, and on the 16th had been promoted L.-Corpl. He died at his post, and no man could do more.” [Illustration: =John Conway.=] =CONWAY, JOHN CHARLES=, Mechanician, 282316, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _unm._ =COOK, ALFRED JOHN=, A.B., 211035, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOK, BERNARD HENRY=, Rifleman, No. 2361, 12th Battn. (The Rangers) The London Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of Frederick Thomas Cook, of Harleston; _b._ Harlesden, N.W., 11 Dec. 1895; educ. Upper Latymer School, Hammersmith, and the Polytechnic, Regent Street; joined The Rangers, Sept. 1914, and was killed in action at Ypres, 15 Feb. 1915, being buried in Menin cemetery, near St. Eloi. He was just finishing his three years’ course as an architectural student. =COOK, EDGAR PRESTON=, Corpl., No. 6780, 1st Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Robert Cook, of Loring, Ontario, Canada, by his wife, Rovy, dau. of John Currie; _b._ 6 Feb. 1896; educ. Loring Public School; enlisted 23 Sept. 1914; came over with the first contingent in Oct.; went to the Front, 7 Feb. 1915; was commended by his Commanding Officer, 4 June, 1915, for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field at the Battle of St. Julien, and promoted Corpl., and was killed in action at Festubert, France, 15 June, 1915; _unm._ =COOK, EDWARD=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./1323, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept 1914. =COOK, EDWARD=, Private, No. 2642, 1/7th Battn. Durham L.I. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of George Cook, of Thornley, Fruiterer and Florist, by his wife, Annie, dau. of John Peel; _b._ Thornley, co. Durham, 12 Jan. 1891; educ. Council School there, Henry Smith’s Secondary School, Hartlepool, and the Training College for Teachers, Sunderland, 1909–11, and having obtained his certificate was appointed assistant master at the Thornley Council School, which post he held at the outbreak of war. While going through his course at Sunderland Training College he had joined the Territorial Battn. of the Durham L.I., and on 9 Sept. 1914, volunteered for Imperial service. He left Gateshead for France on 19 April, and on arrival the Durham L.I. were immediately sent up to the trenches at Ypres, and he was killed in action there on Whit Monday, 24 May, 1915; _unm._ His body was found six weeks afterwards in front of the first line of trenches and buried by a comrade. His yr. brother, Private Percy Cook, Durham L.I., also a trained teacher, was killed in action on the Somme, 27 July, 1916. [Illustration: =Edward Cook, Durham L.I.=] =COOK, EDWARD PERCY=, Bugler, R.M.L.I., Ch./17952, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOK, ERNEST VICTOR=, Private, No. 656, 90th Winnipeg Rifles, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of Thurstan Cook, of 16, Killarney Road, Wandsworth, S.W., formerly of Ryder Street, St. James’, Military Boot Maker, by his wife Lucy, dau. of John Palmer; _b._ Wandsworth, 16 May, 1887; educ. Sir Walter St. John’s School, Battersea, and on leaving school entered the employ of Messrs. Tyser & Co., shipping insurance agents, and afterwards of Lloyds. Leaving for Canada in Nov. 1910, he was for a time at Montreal, and then went to Winnipeg. When war was declared in Aug. 1914, he immediately joined the 90th Winnipeg Rifles, and came to England with the first Canadian contingent, which arrived at Plymouth, 14 Oct. 1914. After training on Salisbury Plain during the winter months, he went to the Front early in 1915, and during the heavy fighting at Ypres, 22–25 April, suffered badly from gas poisoning, but recovered and was in the trenches again in May. He was hit by shrapnel at the Battle of Festubert on 20 May, 1915, and died a few hours later, being buried in Bethune Town Cemetery; _unm._ =COOK, FRANCIS JOSHUA=, Cook’s Mate, M. 2956, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COOK, FREDERICK=, Private, No. 10356, 2nd South Wales Borderers, only _s._ of William Cook, of 15, Tre-Edwards, Rhymney, Brewery Worker, by his wife, Annie, dau. of Aaron Powell; _b._ Rhymney, 11 Aug. 1891; educ. there; enlisted 23 Feb. 1910; served in South Africa, 31 Jan. 1912–3 Oct. 1912; North China, Oct. 1912 (including Battle of Tsing-Tau); and with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 25 May, 1915; _unm._ [Illustration: =Frederick Cook.=] =COOK, FREDERICK WILLIAM=, Private, No. 7105, A Coy., 1st Battn. Norfolk Regt., 2nd _s._ of Arthur Cook, of 30, Long Street, Ipswich, by his wife, Amelia, dau. of James Thorrington; _b._ Ipswich, 12 Nov. 1891; educ. there; joined the Special (Army) Reserve in 1911; _d._ 11 July, 1915, from wounds received in action at Blauvepoort, near Ypres; _unm._ His Commanding Officer, 2nd Lieut. Kenney, writing on 12 July, said: “He was working in the trenches the night before last when a bullet struck him in the back, afterwards passing through his side and arm,” adding: “He is a great loss to the regt. but died a noble death in doing the finest thing any man can do--giving his life for the sake of his country.” =COOK, HAROLD=, Private, No. 113, 21st Battn. 6th Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of the late James Cook, of Stockwell, Marble Mason (who _d._ 1889); _b._ Stockwell, London, 30 July, 1885; educ. Stockwell College; went to Australia, 5 Dec. 1913, and settled at Melbourne; enlisted there in Feb. 1915; served in Egypt and at the Dardanelles and _d._ of pneumonia in No. 15 Base Hospital, Alexandria, 28 Dec. 1915; _unm._ =COOK, HARRY JAMES=, Stoker, 1st Class, S.S. 113688, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COOK, ROBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 8030, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COOK, WILLIAM EDWARD=, Seaman, R.N.R., 3171 C., H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOK, WILLIAM GEORGE=, L.-Corpl., No. 1916, 1/5th Battn. The Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of Alfred Henry Cook, of Bank Cottage, South Ascot, by his wife, Mary Jane, dau. of William Rew Maunders, of Bristol; _b._ Warfield, co. Berks, 25 May, 1890; educ. Rangleigh Elementary School, Windsor Forest; was a carman for Mr. Corbett, Builder, Bagshot; joined the Surrey Territorials, 19 Feb. 1909; volunteered for foreign service after the outbreak of war, and was sent with his battn. to Lucknow, where he was promoted L.-Corpl. In May, 1915, a call was made for a draft of men from the 5th Queen’s to join the 2nd Norfolks, then engaged in operations in the Persian Gulf, and Cook was one of those who volunteered. He was drowned in the Tigris, 6 Aug. 1915, when on duty; _unm._; an officer wrote that he was one of the best of their N.C.Os. and that he “was full of keenness at his work and cheeriness on the march, and an excellent example of smartness both on and off duty.” [Illustration: =William George Cook.=] =COOKE, ALBERT EDWARD=, Coy. Sergt.-Major, No. 8455, 1st Battn. Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., _s._ of Edward Cooke, of 35, Langton Street, Cathay, Bristol, retired Army Warrant Officer and Barrack Master, late M.W.D., India, by his wife, Elizabeth Catherine, dau. of W. Davis; _b._ Bareilly, India, 6 Sept. 1889; educ. Military School, India, and Secondary School, Gloucester; enlisted in the 1st Battn. Duke of Cornwall’s L.I. 20 Aug. 1906, and served seven years with the Colours and then passed into the Reserve. He held the Army Acting Schoolmaster’s certificate, and as long as the rules permitted he had charge of the Depot Military School at Bodmin, Cornwall. On leaving the Army he joined the City of London Police Force, and was attached to the Clock Lane division until called up on the outbreak of the war, 5 Aug. 1914. He was killed in action in France on 4 June, 1915; _unm._ The officer commanding (Lieut.-Col. M. Turner), 1st Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., wrote that he “Was killed in action early yesterday morning (Friday). He was accompanying the company commander, Capt. B. Woodham, D.S.O., round the trenches--the night was a very dark one--and was shot in the head, dying shortly afterwards. The medical officer informs me that he could not have felt any pain whatever, which may be a comfort for you to know. I myself had known your son for some years, and he was at Bodmin with me when I commanded the depot. His loss is very deeply deplored by all here--officers, N.C.O.’s, and men. He was one of the finest, if not the finest, N.C.O. in the battn., utterly fearless and daring, a splendid disciplinarian, and an all-round good fellow. He is a great loss to the battn. and to the country. He had been recommended by Major Canton (he was in command when I was home wounded) for a commission, and we are all sorry that he did not live to receive it. He was buried yesterday (Friday) afternoon in our regimental cemetery here, a charming little spot, and I and several officers and as many men as could be spared attended the funeral. I trust you will accept the deepest sympathy of the battn., of which your son was one of the best, in your bereavement. He died like a soldier for his King and country.” Of his three brothers, Lieut. J. H. Cooke, 11th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, was killed in action at the Dardanelles landing; Corpl. W. D. Cooke, of 5th Divisional Cyclist Coy., is now (1916) a prisoner of war in Germany; and Sergt. A. W. Cooke was (16 Sept. 1914 to 4 Jan. 1915) Drill Instructor to the 15th Gloucesters, and was then with the 13th and later with the 16th Battns., returning to Police duty 6 Jan. 1916. [Illustration: =Albert Edward Cooke.=] =COOKE, JOSEPH HENRY=, Lieut., 11th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, _s._ of Alfred Edward Cooke, of 35, Langton Street, Cathay, Bristol, retired Army Warrant Officer, and Barrack Master, late M.W.D., India, by his wife, Elizabeth Catherine, dau. of W. Davis; _b._ Dinapore, India, 26 Oct. 1882; educ. in Military Schools in India; enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1899, and served with them 12 years; went to Western Australia and settled at Wickepin; volunteered on the outbreak of war; was made Sergt. and later promoted Lieut.; served at the Dardanelles, and was killed in action there 2 May, 1915. He _m._ at Malta, Rosie (Wickepin, Western Australia), dau. of (--) Peffers, and had three children. His brother, Coy. Sergt.-Major A. E. Cooke, was also killed in action. [Illustration: =Joseph H. Cooke.=] =COOKSLEY, ARTHUR GEORGE=, Gunner, R.M.A. 8388, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOLEY, FRANK=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 9339), S.S. 106582, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOLEY, JAMES=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4035), S.S. 102438, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COOLEY, WILLIAM JAMES=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./7606 (R.F.R., B. 880), H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOLING, JOHN JOSEPH=, Private, No. 379, 2nd Battn. Australian Imperial Force, 2nd _s._ of John Joseph Cooling, of Windgates, co. Wicklow, by his wife, Sarah, dau. of Thomas Boyd; _b._ Windgates, 31 Jan. 1891; educ. Bray National School; went to Australia in 1910 and settled at Sydney. On the outbreak of war he volunteered and joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force in Sept. 1914, leaving for Egypt with the first contingent. He was severely wounded on 26 April during the historic landing at the Dardanelles, and was invalided back to Cairo, but rejoined his unit in July. Shortly afterwards he was reported as missing, and later was officially stated to have been killed in action between 6 and 9 Aug. 1915; _unm._ =COOLLEDGE, JOHN HENRY=, Leading Stoker, Ch./305541, R.F.R. B. 8475, 2nd. _s._ of Job Coolledge, of Purleigh, Essex, Shoemaker, by his wife, Sarah; _b._ Purleigh, 25 July, 1882; educ. there; joined the Navy in Sept. 1902, and was lost on H.M.S. Cressy, 23 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at Leigh-on-Sea, 29 July, 1911, Alice H. (4, Reginald Cottages, High Street, Leigh-on-Sea), dau. of Walter Carey; _s.p._ [Illustration: =John Henry Coolledge.=] =COOMBES, ALBERT=, Private, R.M.L.I., 11496, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COOMBES, ARTHUR ROBERT=, Private, No. 1920, 3rd Battn. Australian L.I., _s._ of James Coombes, of Hammersmith, by his wife, Emily; _b._ Hammersmith, 20 Jan. 1895; educ. St. Paul’s C.E. School there; joined the Australian Imperial Force after the outbreak of war, and was killed in the fighting at Lone Pine, Gallipoli, on 7 Aug. 1915; _unm._ =COOMBES, CECIL ROBERT=, Private, No. 4215, 14th Battn. (The London Scottish). The London Regt. (T.F.), 1st _s._ of James Robert Coombes, of 35, Knollys Road, Streatham, S.W., Madras Provincial Civil Service, late Presidency Magistrate, Madras, and Treasury Officer, Salem, by his wife, Camellia Ruth, dau. of Sergt. Stephen Pincott, 1st Madras Fusiliers; _b._ Cuddalore, South India, 18 March, 1897; educ. Champion Hill School, Denmark Hill (1905–6), Doveton Protestant College, Madras (1906–13), and Birkbeck College (1914); joined the London Scottish for Imperial Service, 2 Jan. 1915; went to the Front, 4 July, 1915; was severely wounded in the stomach in the attack on the Hohenzollern trenches during the Battle of Loos, 25 Sept. 1915, and died in the 2nd Field Ambulance the following day; _unm._ He was buried in the British cemetery at Vermelles. While in India, 1906–13, he was a Boy Scout, then a cadet, and finally a Volunteer in the Madras Volunteer Guards. A keen sportsman and shot, he was captain of Doveton College football and hockey teams, prefect of the school, and sub-editor of the school magazine. He had been selected and trained for the machine gun section, and successfully passed the snipers’ test, for eventual employment in that capacity. [Illustration: =Cecil Robert Coombes.=] =COOMBS, ARTHUR ERSKINE GURNEY=, Lieut., R.N., elder _s._ of Richard Samuel Gurney Coombs, of Church House, Oundle, by his wife, Kathleen Maria, dau. of Adolphe Philippe de Chastelain; _b._ Kensington, 3 Feb. 1888; educ. Oundle School; entered H.M.S. Britannia as a cadet, Jan. 1903, at the head of the list; appointed Midshipman, H.M.S. Ocean (China Station), April, 1904; transferred to H.M.S. Goliath (Mediterranean Station), 1905, and to H.M.S. Illustrious, March, 1907; appointed to Royal Naval College, Greenwich, for special course, April, 1908, and obtained four 1st classes; promoted Sub-Lieut. 30 July, 1908, and appointed to H.M.S. Dee (Destroyer), Jan. 1909; promoted Lieut. 30 April, 1909; appointed to H.M.S. Hindustan (Battleship), Sept. 1909, and to H.M.S. Dryad for navigation course, Jan. 1910; qualified as Lieut. (Navigating), and appointed to H.M.S. Essex (Cruiser), Aug. 1910, and to H.M.S. Blanche (Cruiser), Feb. 1911; transferred to H.M.S. Foresight (Light Cruiser), March following, and appointed to H.M.S. Diamond (Cruiser), Nov. 1912; and as Navigating Lieut. to H.M.S. Juno, Dec. following; appointed for first class ship’s course in navigation at Portsmouth, Jan. 1914, and obtained first place in examination; appointed Navigating Lieut. to H.M.S. Hawke, Feb. 1914, and was lost in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914, when that Cruiser was torpedoed. At the time of the attack Lieut. Coombs was on navigating duty on the bridge with the Capt. (Williams), and they remained there together until the ship sank. Coombs was subsequently seen in the water by survivors among the crew, but is presumed to have perished from the cold. He was _unm._ =COONEY, JOHN DANIEL=, Private, No. 2486, 6th Battn. Manchester Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of John Patrick Cooney, J.P., by his wife, Mary (Garranlea House, Cahir, co. Tipperary), dau. of Daniel Joseph Geary; _b._ Cahir, 20 Aug. 1889; educ. Rockwell College and Blackrock College, Ireland; enlisted in the Manchester Regt. on the outbreak of war, went with his battn. to the Dardanelles, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 29 May, 1915. He had been nominated for a commission, against his express wishes, just before his death; _unm._ Private Cooney played Rugby football regularly for the Manchester City Club and Lancashire County. He was a good boxer and a first-rate athlete, winning many prizes at 440 and 880 yards. [Illustration: =John Daniel Cooney.=] =COOPER, ALBERT=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4085), S.S. 102471, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COOPER, ALFRED=, Private, No. 9720, 2nd Battn. The Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.); served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action at Croix Barbée, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._ =COOPER, ANDREW=, Private, No. 14288, 4th Battn. The Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died at Zolobes, 14 Oct. 1914, of wounds received in action. =COOPER, EDWARD WYNDHAM=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 5932), 215711, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOPER, ERNEST=, Private, No. 10041, 4th Battn. Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 30 Aug. 1914. =COOPER, ERNEST ROBERT=, Stoker, R.N.R., 1202T, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOPER, HANWAY=, Sub-Lieut., R.N., yst. _s._ of the late William Cooper, M.A. Oxford, by his wife, Marion (Gravel Hill, Boxmoor, co. Herts), dau. of the late Major James German, of Maywood, Sevenoaks, J.P., D.L., grandson of John Cooper, of The Oaks, Preston, co. Lancs, and great-great-nephew of Admiral Sir James Hanway Plumridge, who fought in the Crimea; _b._ Hampstead, co. Middlesex, 2 May, 1892; educ. St. Christopher’s School, Eastbourne, the Royal Naval College, Osborne (entered 12 Jan. 1905), and Britannia College, Dartmouth; and was promoted Acting Sub-Lieut. 15 Sept. 1912, and Sub-Lieut. 15 Nov. following. He served on H.M. ships Commonwealth (15 Sept. 1909–14 Sept. 1910), Rattlesnake (15 Sept. 1910–14 Nov. 1910), Warrior (15 Nov. 1910–4 April, 1911), Britannia (14 Sept. 1911–2 Sept. 1912, “a zealous, hard-working officer”), Dryad (3 Sept.-9 Oct. 1912), Circe (10 Oct. 1912–6 March, 1914, “has carried out the duties of executive officer with zeal and ability”), Pembroke (7 March–22 March, 1914), and Shannon (23 March–30 July, 1914, “a very capable and promising officer”), and on the outbreak of war was appointed to H.M.S. Monmouth. He was killed in the naval action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, when the Monmouth and Good Hope were lost with all hands, 1 Nov. 1914. Sub-Lieut. Cooper was to have been promoted to the rank of Lieut. 15 Nov. following his death. [Illustration: =Hanway Cooper.=] =COOPER, HENRY=, Private, No. 10894, 4th Battn. Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died on active service, 4 Nov. 1914, of enteric fever. =COOPER, JAMES HAMILTON=, Private, No. 8551, 2nd Battn. East Kent Regt. (The Buffs), _s._ of Alfred Cooper, of The Lilac, Plantation Road, Hextable; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; died 29 May, 1915, of wounds received in action. =COOPER, JOHN=, Fleet Paymaster, R.N., yr. _s._ of James Cooper Cooper, formerly Tuthill, of Cooper Hill, Clarina, co. Limerick, J.P., by his first wife, Mary, dau. of Charles Pickering, of Roebuck, co. Dublin; _b._ Cooper Hill, 4 July, 1869; educ. Burney’s School, Gosport; joined the Navy as an Assistant Clerk in 1886, becoming Paymaster in 1900, Staff Paymaster in 1904, and Fleet Paymaster, 1 Feb. 1908. He served in H.M. Yacht Osborne from 1899–1902, and was afterwards Secretary to Admiral Custance in the Venerable, and to Admiral Sir Charles Briggs in the Lord Nelson and the Dreadnought. He joined H.M.S. Monmouth, 1 Aug. 1914, and was lost in action when that ship was sunk in the Battle off Coronel, 1 Nov. 1914. He _m._ at St. Peter’s, Cranley Gardens, S.W., 5 June, 1905, Marguerite Sutherland (Chiltern House, Chesham), dau. of the late Capt. Francis Sutherland, Royal Scots Greys, and had three children: James Francis, _b._ 5 May, 1906; John Christopher, _b._ 15 May, 1907; and Elizabeth Mary, _b._ 20 Feb. 1909. [Illustration: =John Cooper.=] =COOPER, LEONARD GOSSE=, 2nd Lieut., 4th (Service) Battn. South Wales Borderers, yst. _s._ of Walter Percy Cooper, of Ambleside, Abergavenny, Managing Director of Seargeant Bros., Ltd.; _b._ Abergavenny, 15 June, 1892; educ. Llandovery College, and Jesus College, Oxford, where he won a classical scholarship and also a Goldsmith’s Exhibition, and was placed in the first class in Honour Classical Moderations in 1914. On the outbreak of war he applied for a commission, and was gazetted to the South Wales Borderers, 29 Aug. 1914, accompanied the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force to the Dardanelles, and was killed in action 9 Aug. 1915; _unm._ He was buried in the 29th Field Ambulance Cemetery, at the mouth of the Aghyl Dere, Gallipoli, near Col. Gillispie and Major Sir Lennox Napier. Capt. C. E. Kitchen, commanding the C Coy., wrote: “It was early on 9 Aug. that the Turks attempted a surprise attack upon us where we were holding a very difficult position which we had not time to properly strengthen. My company had to occupy a rough knoll, covered with scrub, and in the semi-darkness it was very difficult to see the enemy. I immediately ordered up two platoons--No. 12 (your son’s) and No. 11 (Mr. Miller’s)--and was successful in keeping back the Turks. Unhappily Leonard, whilst gallantly leading and encouraging his men, was shot through the body, and passed away almost at once.” The regt. was congratulated by Sir Ian Hamilton for their conduct on this day. [Illustration: =Leonard Gosse Cooper.=] =COOPER, STANLEY JAMES=, Armourer’s Crew, 228727, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COOPER, THOMAS=, Stoker, 1st Class, K. 14542, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. =COOPER, THOMAS WILFRED=, Private, No. 12629, 4th (Service) Battn. South Wales Borderers, 2nd _s._ of George Cooper, of Joyford Hill, Coleford, by his wife, Jessie, dau. of George Taylor, of Joyford Hill; _b._ Coleford, co. Gloucester, 13 April, 1890; was employed at the Connop Collieries; volunteered and enlisted, Aug. 1914; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at the Dardanelles from 29 June, 1915, to 10 Aug. 1915, on which latter date he was killed in action there; _unm._ [Illustration: =Thomas W. Cooper.=] =COPE, HARRY FITZGERALD=, Private, No. 81177, 8th Battn. (90th Winnipeg Rifles), Canadian Expeditionary Force, 3rd _s._ of Gilbert Augustus Cope, of Russell, Manitoba, Canada, Farmer, formerly of Tralee, co. Kerry, and Sydenham, co. Kent, Organist of St. Michael’s, Lower Sydenham, 1882–88, by his late wife, Annie, dau. of the late William Burley, of Hastings, Sussex; _b._ Kilmalkeader Farm, Russell Co., Manitoba, 8 May, 1896; educ. Londonderry, near Russell, and Russell High School; joined the 32nd Manitoba Light Horse on its formation in May, 1913; trained at Sewell, 1913–14; volunteered for overseas service on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, and was drafted to the 32nd Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, at Winnipeg; came over with reinforcements for the first contingent, 17 Feb. 1915; trained at Shorncliffe Camp; went to the Front, 29 April, 1915; transferred to 8th Battn., 8 May (his 19th birthday); wounded in the left shoulder in action at Givenchy, 21 June, 1915, by a piece of shrapnel, but remained in the trenches with his company; appointed Headquarters Runner to the Battn., 1 Aug.; killed in action at Ploegsteert, Belgium, about 11 p.m., 12 Sept. 1915, while repairing trench under fire, being shot near the heart. Buried in the 90th Rifles graveyard in Ploegsteert Wood; _unm._ Capt. L. Gysin wrote: “He had been so familiar and well-liked a figure amongst us, as he had always been a good soldier and seldom without a smile, that his death will be a great loss to us”; and Private C. Robin: “All the Russell boys, in fact all the boys who knew him, feel pretty bad. He was one of the best, always cheery and cool under fire.” [Illustration: =Harry Fitzgerald Cope.=] =BIDDLE-COPE, ANTHONY CYPRIAN PROSPER=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I., _s._ of James Cyprian Biddle-Cope, formerly of Broadwood Hall, co. Salop, by his wife, Marie Louise, dau. of Edward Angell Saunders; _b._ London, 9 May, 1889; educ. Barnabite College, Florence, Italy; and was afterwards a Cadet on H.M.S. Conway, where he received the King’s gold medal. He was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I., 10 Aug. 1910, and went to the Front with them on the outbreak of war. He was present when the general move of the British Army was made in Belgium and Northern France, and when the Germans made their first attempt to capture Calais, and was killed in action while saving the life of a friend, near Ypres, 26 April, 1915; _unm._ A Major of the 1st Battn. King’s Shropshire L.I., in a letter to his family, wrote: “The death of your son was not a surprise to me, for I knew it must only be a question of time before he was either killed or wounded seriously enough to lay him up for the rest of the war, for he was one of the bravest men I have ever met. I knew him first at the depot at Shrewsbury, when he first joined in 1910, and even then I was so much impressed with his pluck and his constant desire to do his duty in everything that I used to say that if ever I went on service I should rather have him to help me in a tight place than any other young officer I knew. When we were out on the Aisne, if ever there was any dangerous job that required to be done he would volunteer to do it, and yet the way he carried it out showed that he had caution and sense besides mere pluck. When he was first wounded, on 23 Oct., he came up to me with his hand bound up, and was all for leading a bayonet charge in daylight. The day before that he had walked across an open space of 50 yards to bring me a message, with the bullets spattering all around him, and nothing I could say would make him wait till dark before going back.” Another officer, who was wounded in the same engagement as that in which Lieut. Biddle-Cope met his death, wrote: “During the fight round Ypres two companies were ordered with the machine guns to reinforce a regt. who were having a very had time. On arrival there some selected men of our company were ordered to take a trench held by the Germans, and I was one of the officers, and while waiting to move out of our trench to attack, Biddle-Cope came up and chatted with me and wished me good luck; and I left my stick with him till I came back. The order to advance was given, and we charged, and just before we got to the enemy’s trench Biddle-Cope rushed by at a terrific pace, and was shot as he got to the enemy’s trench. When just in front of me he fired two shots from his revolver, and I think was again hit. I dropped down beside him and fired at the German who had shot, him, but can’t say whether I hit him or not. I myself had damaged my knee so severely that I could not walk at the time, and I saw no use trying to do any more, so collected the few men left--about five at the moment--and crawled back in. Biddle-Cope was machine gun officer, and should not have been there, but I can only think that he saw things were going badly and came out to help me.” [Illustration: =A. C. P. Biddle-Cope.=] =COPE, MICHAEL WILLIAM=, Private, No. 6317, No. 3 Coy. 1st Battn. 1st Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of the late Michael Brown Cope, of The Corner House, Castledermott, co. Kildare, by his wife, Isabella, dau. of John Brown, of Woodlands, Castledermott; _b._ Castledermott, 1 Sept. 1892; educ. there; went to Canada, 24 May. 1912, and after a few months in Arkona, Thedford, Ontario, with his uncle, George Brown, J.P., became a clerk on the Canadian Pacific Railway at Windsor, Ontario. On the outbreak of war he enlisted and came to England with the first Canadian contingent, and after training at Salisbury during the winter, left for the Front, 7 Feb. 1915. He was killed in action between Bethune and La Bassée on the evening of 1 June, 1915; _unm._ A comrade wrote: “He was killed in one of the most daring attacks of this war. It commenced at 6 p.m. The hail of bullets and shrapnel which swept over our parapet was perfectly ranged; it was suicide to show oneself over the breastwork, for the enemy were less than 75 yards away. In spite of all, not a man hesitated. The whole platoon, of which William was one of my best chums, crossed the parapet with our heads down and a muttered prayer. We made straight for the German lines. We dropped into shell holes for a breather, and I glanced back and saw half of the boys (chums all of them since leaving Windsor, Ontario) lying dead and wounded. William, I afterwards learned, suffered no pain; his death was instantaneous. We had many debts to pay--Ypres, Festubert--and we alleged together to form one terrible effort, which carried us to their third line. William was with us through all our trouble at Ypres and Festubert, and has won the love and respect of us all. There are but few survivors left of the willing bands that landed in France last February.” [Illustration: =Michael William Cope.=] =COPELAND, TOM=, Officer’s Steward, 1st Class, 357988, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. =COPELAND, WILLIAM GEORGE=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 10384), 206235, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COPELAND, WILLIAM JOHN=, Corpl., No. 10666, Machine Gun Section Wellington L.I., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of Thomas Mercer Copeland, of 30, Liffeton Street, Wanganui, New Zealand, Building Inspector etc., for Wanganui Borough Council, by his wife, Emma; _b._ Wanganui, 23 Jan. 1890; and was educated at the District High School and at Mossten, Wanganui. He joined the Defence Cadets as a boy, winning a cup for shooting at the age of 15, and afterwards attained the rank of Lieut. of the Senior Cadets acting at Capt. for eighteen months, but had to resign on leaving Wanganui for New Plymouth to take up other work. He was a Mechanical Engineer and Motor Expert by trade and on the outbreak of war volunteered for Imperial Service and joined the Wellington Infantry Battn., 18 Aug.