Corporal 25477 Arthur Thomas Cook

7th Northamptonshire Regiment

Killed in Action 25th March 1918

Pargny British Cemetery, IV. C. 7

Son of Mr. and Mrs. E. Cook, of Rochester, Kent; husband of Ada Elizabeth Cook, of 76, Irthlingborough Rd., Finedon, Wellingborough

Born: Borden, Kent

Enlisted: Hemel Hempstead

The son of Eli and Mary Cook, Arthur Thomas Cook was one of ten children in his family, who lived originally in Kent. Cook moved to Hemel Hempstead in 1907 to take up the role as a butler for the headmaster of Lockers Park School, Percy Christopherson. 

He was part of the 7th Battalion in the Northamptonshire Regiment, formed in September 1914. They eventually landed at the French city of Boulogne on the 2nd September 1915.  

On the 25th of March 1918, Cook’s battalion partook in a counterattack alongside the 8th Division and cooperated with by the French. They quickly encountered enemy fire and the battalion suffered significant casualties, immediately, remaining troops formed a defensive line. The German troops were swiftly able to out flank the Allied forces and heavy bloodshed ensued. It is difficult to state the exact timings of Cook’s death, yet it is most plausible during the early morning, as accounts recall the battle at its heaviest then. 

Sources:

• Herts at War - a community led project to commemorate the diverse experiences of Hertfordshire during the First World War. 
• 7th Northamptonshire Regiment War Diary, Catalogue Reference: WO-95-2218-2_3 
• UK & Other Memorials: Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St Paul's Church (Demolished) Memorial, Hemel Hempstead, John Dickinson & Co Memorial, Apsley Mills, Apsley 

By Oliver Heathcote, Mia Maslen-Wollington and Olivia Trzcinska 

4th July 2024