Five: Stoker 1st Class H. Cooke, Royal Navy

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith (176138 A.B., H.M.S. Terrible); China 1900, no clasp (A.B., H.M.S. Terrible); 1914-15 Star (175138 Sto. 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (175138 Sto. 1, R.N.), the first two with a little contact wear and occasional edge bruising, but generally very fine, the remainder rather better (5) £350-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals for Services at Sea from the Collection of the Late Oliver Stirling Lee.

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Henry Cooke was born at Godstone, Surrey in September 1878 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in September 1893. His subsequent commission aboard H.M.S. Terrible saw him witnessing active service ashore with the Naval Brigade in the Boer War, when he qualified for the Medal with “Tugela Heights” and “Relief of Ladysmith” clasps, and again, off China, during the Boxer Rebellion.

By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Cooke was serving as a Stoker 1st Class aboard the battleship Russell, but sadly he did not survive her loss through mines outside Malta in April 1916:

‘The battleship Russell, Captain W. Bowden-Smith, R.N., was one of the first victims of the German minelaying submarines, one of which, the U-73, had voyaged from Kiel to Malta under Kapitain Siess. On the night of 25 April 1916, the U-73 laid 36 mines at about 50 metres apart in front of the harbour at Malta, before proceeding to Cattaro. The following morning Russell, with Rear-Admiral S. R. Freemantle on board, struck one of these mines and sank with a loss of 124 officers and men. Admiral Freemantle, Captain Bowden-Smith and about 625 officers and men were saved’ (A Dictionary of Disasters at Sea refers).