Peterborough & The Great War

Biography

John William Cook was born on 14 October 1895 in Walton, Liverpool to Robert William, a draper’s porter who died in 1904 aged 37, and Mary Emily (nee Archer).

In 1901, the family lived at 4 Victoria Place, Everton with a Great Aunt, Harriet Ellis.  By 1911, Mary Emily, her son John William (15) who worked as a railway carriage repairer, and two younger siblings, Ada Emily (11) and Frederick James (6) had moved to 14 Page Street, Liverpool.

John attested with the Territorial Force on 29 January 1913, aged 17 years 4 months and joined the 1/5 Battalion, King’s Own Liverpool Regiment. Rifleman Cook disembarked with his regiment at Le Havre on 22 February 1915, where he served until 17 May 1915.  On 16 May 1915, during action at Festubert, he suffered a gunshot wound to his left hand which resulted in the amputation of the second finger.  It was deemed that this injury would have a 50% effect on his capacity to earn a full livelihood for the first twelve months, reducing to 25% permanently.

He transferred to the 43rd Provisional Battalion, a Works Battalion, from 10 September 1915 until discharged as permanently medically unfit for further service on 12 September 1916.  On discharge he was living at 72 Bligh Street, Liverpool.  He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War and Allied Victory Medals and the Silver War Badge.

John passed through Peterborough East Station on 4 June 1916 and wrote in the visitor’s book “Many thanks and appreciation for the rest room committee.”

John married Margaret O’Hare at West Derby, Liverpool, in winter 1915.  They had five children: John Arthur (1916), Mary (1918), Robert (1920), James (1921) and Margaret (1926).

In 1939, John and Margaret lived with their children at 3 Blantyre Road, Liverpool.  John was listed as an aero engineer.  During World War 2, John was an air raid precaution warden.  John died in Liverpool on 3 August 1954, aged 58.