Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A post-War C.B. group of eight awarded to Engineer Rear-Admiral J. E. Cooke, Royal Navy, who joined up as a fifteen year old Boy Artificer, was commissioned in 1923, served 15 months as Engineer Lieutenant in H.M.S. Hood, and was mentioned in despatches whilst Engineer Commander of the aircraft carrier Furious following her attack on the battleship Tirpitz in 1943

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels, complete with full neck cravat; British War Medal 1914-20 (M.11328 J. E. Cooke. B. Art. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Coronation 1953, the last seven mounted court-style as worn, good very fine (8) (8) £700-£900

C.B. (Military) London Gazette 9 June 1955: ‘Engineer Rear-Admiral, Portsmouth Dockyard.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1945: ‘Engineer Commander, H.M.S. Furious.’

John Ernest Cooke was born at Bicester, Oxfordshire, on 7 April 1899, and joined the Royal Navy from school as a Boy Artificer, aged 15, in January 1915. After training, and over eight years service as a rating, ashore and afloat, in war and peacetime, he was promoted to commissioned rank in 1923. He held the rank of Engineer Lieutenant during his fifteen months’ service in the battleship Hood from 1927-28. Further service in destroyers, cruisers and the battleship Royal Oak, saw him promoted to Engineer Commander in 1936. The early years of the Second World War saw him serving ashore but, in 1943, as Chief Engineer of the aircraft carrier Furious, he was mentioned in despatches following her attack on the battleship Tirpitz. He was promoted to Engineer Captain in 1946, and to Engineer Rear-Admiral in 1953, one of very few former ratings to achieve such high rank. He retired in 1957, and in civilian life held several senior positions in industry, mostly in connection with ship building and ship repairing. He retired in 1964 and died in 1980 at R.N. Hospital, Haslar, aged 81.