More about James Archibald Cook

For reasons unknown this man is not listed on the original Dundee Roll of Honour but is remembered on the Dundee High School Roll of Honour.

James A Cook was the son of the Reverend Donald Cook and Gertrude J Cook of 27 Dalhousie Terrace, Edinburgh and educated at Dundee High School. He had originally joined the 23rd (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, a London based regiment and also known as the First Sportsmen Battalion. As a Private his regimental number was 1155. He transferred to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for service in the Royal Naval Division in May 1915 and undertook initial Officer Naval at the Crystal Palace Depot in South London. He was appointed for further Military training at Blandford Camp in Dorset. After leave in November he was appointed to the Hawke Battalion in December 1915 which was in Gallipoli. However, the withdrawal from Gallipoli was being planned and he reached the Battalion in February 1916 after passage in the old battleship HMS Mars, now converted to a troop transport. In May 1916 he went to France with the Hawke Battalion and took his men into battle in November. One of the first day’s objectives of the British attack on 1 July 1916 was the capture of the village of Beaucourt just to the west of the River Ancre. It was finally taken on 14 November by the men of the 63rd Royal Naval Division. This was the first major operation by the RND in France and established a reputation for being a “Can Do” Division. However, the casualty list was very high and over 30 local men were killed and countless more wounded. This was the worst ever day for Dundee’s Naval forces in the First World War. James Cook was first reported as wounded and then missing. His record card reveals that his body was found and then buried by men of the 51st Highland Division. Later he was moved and is now buried in Y Ravine Cemetery, Beaumont Hamel, Northern France.