Robert Chevallier Cooke MC

Captain - Norfolk Regiment

Robert Chevallier was born on 25th July 1891 in Bromley, Kent, the son of Frederick William Cooke and his wife Frances Sophia (Harvey). He was the second of five children, Frederick Francis (1890), Elizabeth (1893), Enid (1894) and Frances (1899). Frederick William and Frances married on 15th August 1889 at Kirkley, Suffolk where Frances was then living with her parents having been born and brought up at Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich. Her father, Edward Kerrison Harvey was a magistrate. After their marriage Frederick William and his wife, Frances, moved to Bromley in Kent where their first four children were born and Frederick practised as a solicitor before becoming the district registrar and moving to Newmarket Road, Eaton, Norwich around 1895 where the family lived for about ten years. In 1896 Frederick William had purchased a plot of land close to the church and the Old Rectory in Swardeston at the "Old Rectory Estate Auction" and here he had Swardeston House built between 1903 and 1905. Here Frederick and Frances raised their family and continued to live until the death of Frederick on 29th November 1934. Following the death of her husband, Frances moved to Wymondham where she died on 22nd October 1937.

Having been born in Bromley, Kent, Robert was educated at a private school, St. Peter's Court near Broadstairs, together with brother Frederick, and at Repton College. He went on to study at Magdalene College, Oxford from where he obtained a B.A. On 1st March 1927 Robert married Sheila Mary Isabella Stanley-Turner at St George's Garrison Church, Abbassia, Cairo, Egypt, the daughter of wing commander Harry Stanley-Turner and his wife Isabella (Philip). Robert and Sheila had two sons, the first born in 1928 in the Anglo-American Hospital in Cairo and the second, three years later, in England. Their sons both married and produced a total of eight children between them. Many direct descendants of Robert and Sheila survive to this day but are, as yet, untraced.

On his return to England, after his military career, Captain Robert Cooke lived in Finchingfield Essex. He became an apple farmer until his retirement in 1968. He was Braintree rural councilor for Finchingfield for several years and was also treasurer of Finchingfield Parochial Church Council and a keen helper of the Royal British Legion. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Robert died on 13th January 1972 and his widow, Sheila, on 15th September 1997.

At the outbreak of war in August 1914 Robert joined the 3rd Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant. In May 1915 he transferred to the 2nd Battalion and embarked for Mesopotamia where he saw action at Nasiriyeh in July 1915, Kut-El-Amara in September 1915 where he was wounded and Ctesiphon in December 1915 where he was, again, wounded. In April 1916 a Composite Battalion was formed from the depleted ranks of the 2nd Norfolk and the 2nd Dorset Regiments and Robert was promoted to Captain. He saw action at Sanna-i-yat as Adjutant of the Composite Battalion where he was severely wounded and in June 1916 he was awarded the Military Cross. The London Gazette of 25th July 1916 carried the following notice:- "Capt R C Cooke. Military Cross. His majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to confer the Military Cross on the Officer in recognition of their gallantry and devotion to duty in the field. For conspicuous gallantry on several occasions when working in the open under heavy rifle and machine gun fire".

In 1917 Robert was seconded to the Egyptian army, served with the Eastern Arab Corps in 1919 and finally retired from the Norfolk Regiment in May 1928. From 1928 until 1941 he was with the Sudan Political Service where he became District Commissioner for Southern Sudan. In May 1940 he was awarded the Order of the Nile and the following appeared in the London Gazette on 10th May:-

"Whitehall, May 10, 1940. The King has been pleased to give and grant unto the undermentioned gentleman His Majesty's Royal license and authority to wear Decorations conferred upon him by His Majesty the King of Egypt, in recognition of valuable services rendered by him in the employment of the Sudan Government:- ORDER OF THE NILE. Insignia of officer. Captain Robert Chevallier Cooke, M.C."

Return to WW1 1914-1918