Alderton's WW1 War Dead
Below are the biographical and military details of the sixteen men listed on the Alderton War memorial. I have also included two men whose names do not appear on the Alderton village memorial. Only one of the two Grimmett brothers appears on the memorial, so details of both are included below, and Jesse James, who was born in Alderton but lived in Stanton, where he is commemorated.
Driver Sydney Cook
Name/Rank: Driver Sydney Cook
Regiment/Battalion: Royal Army Service Corps (H.Q. Coy. 1st Div. Train)
Service No: TS/9647
Date died: 19th July 1916
Buried/Commemorated: Becourt Military Cemetery, Becourt-Becordel, France
Commemorated: Sydney Cook is commemorated on the Alderton war memorial and on the WW1 memorial plaque in St Mary's Church, Acocks Green.
Sydney Cook was born in Alderton in 1887. His parents Michael and Elizabeth had sixteen other children between 1883 and 1905. By 1901 Sydney was aged 14 and living at 2 Home Road, Toddington where he is listed as a servant/blacksmith to the blacksmith Richard Stanley. By 1911 Sydney was aged 24 and living as a boarder at 6 Station Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham and his occupation was a blacksmith.
Sydney attested on 20th November 1915 in Birmingham, where he was living at 185 Fox Hollies Road, Acocks Green. He was aged 28, unmarried and his occupation was a shoeing smith, he was 5ft 7in. On attestation his next of kin was listed as his mother Elizabeth Cook, of Alderton, Gloucestershire. Sydney embarked from Southampton aboard the S.S Viper on 20th December 1915, arriving in Le Harve on 21st making him entitled to the 1914-15 Star.
Sydney Cook was a driver and farrier with the Army Service Corps part of the 1st Division. His company moved to the Somme in July 1916 and were stationed around the Becourt Wood area, just behind the Somme front line. On the 19th July the company carried out various supply duties and at some point during the day four men of the company were killed by shellfire, Sydney Cook was one of these. Amongst Sydney’s surviving service papers there is a letter from the Officer Commanding the 1st Divisional train saying Sydney was KIA by artillery fire. He is buried alongside two of his pals in Becourt cemetery.
Fortunately, several of Sydney’s service papers survive and from these we can see that there was a record of an allowance of 6d per day paid to a Miss J Hunt from 31/07/16, also a request that any of Sydney's effects & medals to be sent to Miss Mary Jane (Jeanie) Hunt of 23 Deakin Road, Birmingham. Then a later record noting Mary Hunt's change of address to 23 Cupid Street, Belmont Road, Anfield, Liverpool. There is also Army Form W.5080 asking for details of all Sydney Cook's living relatives, which notes his father as dead and lists seven brothers & seven sisters alongside his mother. All at various locations including Alderton, Bournebrook, Birmingham, Bradford, Cinderford and Westmancote/Bredon. This form is witnessed by the Rector of Alderton Arthur Pennington. Rather poignantly Sydney's mother wrote back to the War office casualty branch thanking them "sincerely for the certificate in memory of my dear son". A notice of Sydney being KIA also appeared in both the Birmingham Daily Mail of the 26th July & the Birmingham Daily Post of 27th July. It noted he was a Birmingham man, and his address was the Forge, Tyseley. Separately a copy of a memorial notice was published in an unknown paper, entitled “In loving memory of our dear brother Farrier Sydney Cook” and it ends with “Ever remembered by his loving mother, brothers and sisters and sweetheart Jeanie Hunt”.
Following Sydney’s death, the Army record of soldiers’ effects lists two amounts of £18 15s 6d & £3 that were paid to Mary Jane Hunt in 1916 and 1919 respectively. The first payment would likely have been the remains of Sydney’s pay and the second a war gratuity paid out to soldiers and their dependants.
Sydney’s service in 1915 entitled him to the 1914-1915 Star as well as the Victory and British War medals.
Sydney Cook is commemorated on the Alderton war memorial and is buried in Becourt Military Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, France. There is an S Cook listed on the WW1 memorial plaque in St Mary's Church, Acocks Green. The church is situated between Station Road and Fox Hollies Road so it’s quite likely that it was Sydney's local church
Regiment/Battalion: Royal Army Service Corps (H.Q. Coy. 1st Div. Train)
Service No: TS/9647
Date died: 19th July 1916
Buried/Commemorated: Becourt Military Cemetery, Becourt-Becordel, France
Commemorated: Sydney Cook is commemorated on the Alderton war memorial and on the WW1 memorial plaque in St Mary's Church, Acocks Green.
Sydney Cook was born in Alderton in 1887. His parents Michael and Elizabeth had sixteen other children between 1883 and 1905. By 1901 Sydney was aged 14 and living at 2 Home Road, Toddington where he is listed as a servant/blacksmith to the blacksmith Richard Stanley. By 1911 Sydney was aged 24 and living as a boarder at 6 Station Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham and his occupation was a blacksmith.
Sydney attested on 20th November 1915 in Birmingham, where he was living at 185 Fox Hollies Road, Acocks Green. He was aged 28, unmarried and his occupation was a shoeing smith, he was 5ft 7in. On attestation his next of kin was listed as his mother Elizabeth Cook, of Alderton, Gloucestershire. Sydney embarked from Southampton aboard the S.S Viper on 20th December 1915, arriving in Le Harve on 21st making him entitled to the 1914-15 Star.
Sydney Cook was a driver and farrier with the Army Service Corps part of the 1st Division. His company moved to the Somme in July 1916 and were stationed around the Becourt Wood area, just behind the Somme front line. On the 19th July the company carried out various supply duties and at some point during the day four men of the company were killed by shellfire, Sydney Cook was one of these. Amongst Sydney’s surviving service papers there is a letter from the Officer Commanding the 1st Divisional train saying Sydney was KIA by artillery fire. He is buried alongside two of his pals in Becourt cemetery.
Fortunately, several of Sydney’s service papers survive and from these we can see that there was a record of an allowance of 6d per day paid to a Miss J Hunt from 31/07/16, also a request that any of Sydney's effects & medals to be sent to Miss Mary Jane (Jeanie) Hunt of 23 Deakin Road, Birmingham. Then a later record noting Mary Hunt's change of address to 23 Cupid Street, Belmont Road, Anfield, Liverpool. There is also Army Form W.5080 asking for details of all Sydney Cook's living relatives, which notes his father as dead and lists seven brothers & seven sisters alongside his mother. All at various locations including Alderton, Bournebrook, Birmingham, Bradford, Cinderford and Westmancote/Bredon. This form is witnessed by the Rector of Alderton Arthur Pennington. Rather poignantly Sydney's mother wrote back to the War office casualty branch thanking them "sincerely for the certificate in memory of my dear son". A notice of Sydney being KIA also appeared in both the Birmingham Daily Mail of the 26th July & the Birmingham Daily Post of 27th July. It noted he was a Birmingham man, and his address was the Forge, Tyseley. Separately a copy of a memorial notice was published in an unknown paper, entitled “In loving memory of our dear brother Farrier Sydney Cook” and it ends with “Ever remembered by his loving mother, brothers and sisters and sweetheart Jeanie Hunt”.
Following Sydney’s death, the Army record of soldiers’ effects lists two amounts of £18 15s 6d & £3 that were paid to Mary Jane Hunt in 1916 and 1919 respectively. The first payment would likely have been the remains of Sydney’s pay and the second a war gratuity paid out to soldiers and their dependants.
Sydney’s service in 1915 entitled him to the 1914-1915 Star as well as the Victory and British War medals.
Sydney Cook is commemorated on the Alderton war memorial and is buried in Becourt Military Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, France. There is an S Cook listed on the WW1 memorial plaque in St Mary's Church, Acocks Green. The church is situated between Station Road and Fox Hollies Road so it’s quite likely that it was Sydney's local church
