Frank Cook
Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial
Regiment: South Wales Borderers
Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 14017
Parents: Mary Ann and Samuel Cook, step-father David Davies
Marital status: Single
Home address: Back of Rising Sun, King Street, Blaenavon Monmouthshire
Pre-war occupation: Coal Miner
Date of birth: 1887
Place of birth: Kingswood, Bristol
Date of death: 13/06/1918
Buried/Commemorated at: Buried at Marfaux British Cemetery, Marne, France. Not commemorated on a local memorial.
Age: 31
Further information:
Frank was born in Kingswood, the son of a bootmaker and a middle child of four with two sisters and a brother. Not long after Frank's birth the family moved to Blaenavon, Monmouthshire and at the age of 14, Frank was working down the mine as a coal hewer's boy, later becoming a coal hewer himself. Frank's father died when Frank was 15 and his mother married David Davies a colliery worker, later that same year.
Frank was wounded on 19/1/18 and awarded a wound stripe. As his battalion was not involved in a specific engagement on that day it is likely that he was injured during trench warfare. Frank was killed in action five months later, during the German Spring Offensive (21 March – 18 July 1918) which resulted in combined German and allied casualties in excess of 1.5 million soldiers. Frank was originally buried at Jonchery and transferred to Marfaux after the armistice.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
Some information supplied by Kingswood Heritage Museum