On the Pozieres Memorial, Somme France is the name of 72993 Private Frank Cook serving with 15th Battalion Durham Light Infantry who died 31/03/1918.
In Lamesley St Andrew’s Churchyard is a family headstone which makes mention of Frank.
Brenda McMahon has submitted the following:-
Frank was born at Lamesley the son of Arthur and Maria Elizabeth (nee Sharpe) about 1892. He had a sister, Dorothy, born 1895.
The 1901 census shows the family living at a cottage at Lamesley Station. Arthur was a railway signal man. Also boarding at that address was a railway porter, John W. Mynott.
The next census, 1911, shows that not much has changed within the home. There is a new boarder, another porter name Charles Naylor. Frank now has a job as a blacksmith’s apprentice with a coach builder.
Frank attested at Birtley on 7 December 1915. He was aged 23. He remained at home until he was mobilised at Newcastle on 18 July 1917. The following day he was sent to Seaham Harbour. At that time he worked for the North Eastern Railway as an assistant guard.
In May 1917 he had a medical examination at Birtley which showed he was 5 feet 1 inch height, his weight 114 lbs and he wore an upper denture. His faith was Church of England.
His physical development was estimated as fair as he had some slight defects (illegible) however they were not considered to be sufficient enough to cause rejection to the fighting force.
Whilst he was at Seaham he committed an offence. His conduct sheet shows that shortly before sailing to France he was charged with overstaying his pass from midnight on 7 November until 4.00 p.m. on 9 November 1917 when under orders for embarkation for active service. His punishment was that he forfeited 2 days’ pay.
He embarked from Folkestone for France on 14 November. By 13 December he was in the field.
Unfortunately, within only 4 months of Franks arrival in France the Spring Offensive was beginning.
The Kaiserschlacht (or Kaisers Battle) known to us as the Spring Offensive was a series of attacks along the Western Front beginning on 21 March 1918. The Germans were at their most dangerous at this time and it was of great concern that the enemy could break through so defeating the Allied Fifth Army. The action was fought along the former Somme battlefields. However their advance was doomed as they overstretched themselves with shortages of supplies, heavy casualties and trying to hold onto worthless ground. By the end of April, the danger passed as the German structure was imploding in on itself.
The Americans were now starting to arrive in numbers to assist in operations so this was another blow to the German regime and morale.
Unfortunately, for Frank he was there at the beginning of the action. He was reported missing between 21-31 March 1918. Death was presumed by the War Office on lapse of time as having occurred on or since 21 March 1918. His total army service amounted to 2 years 115 days.
His body was never found. Frank is listed on panels 68-72 on the Pozieres Memorial on the Somme in France. It shows 14685 identified casualties mainly relating to the period of crisis during March and April 1918. The Durham Light Infantry alone shows approximately 600 names one of whom is Frank Cook.
Recipient of the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Lamesley does not have a War Memorial and Frank Cook has not been identified on a local War Memorial.
Frank Cook is remembered in the D.L.I. Book of Remembrance page 68.
