COOK Edgar William 5th Batt Nptonshire reg

ANOTHER coligtree man

Prvt Cook Edgar William service number 14638464
5th batt naptons
date of death 13-11-1944 commemorated on panel 9 cassimo memorial Italy
any one know where-why what action
son of William Hedley -lily Winifred cook of Milton,(a little Northamptonshire village)

any help from the vast knowledge pool of ww2
Biff

 

Hi Biff

If you do a basic CWGC search (http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx) and add that to the post it will help members to help you:


COOK, EDGAR WILLIAM

Rank:Private
Service No:14638464
Date of Death:13/11/1944
Age:20
Regiment/Service:Northamptonshire Regiment 5th Bn.
Panel Reference: Panel 9. Memorial:CASSINO MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Son of William Hedley Cook and Lily Winifred Cook, of Milton, Northampton.

TD

edited to add:
Is it not Collingtree??

 

I don't have any war diaries for the 5th, but do have Jervois' History of the Northamptonshire Regt

There is no mention of casualties around this period, but the battalion had been fighting hard during October.

Spaduro Sector, 1st November 1944 - 13th February 1944...

"...11th Brigade held the Spaduro sector, the routine being for the three battalions to alternate between the front line, reserve positions at Travellata and others at Castel del Rio, spending four days in each. By this arrangement, none suffered unduly from the hardships of the weather...."

"...but the most important work was that carried out by the fighting patrols. .....on the night of the 13th/14th November, a patrol led by Lieut. Hodgkiss followed a route carefully reconnoitered on the previous night. When they reached the area of a pond which lay between Casa Maletto and Pt.362 they saw a party of eight Germans moving towards their trenches, oblivious to any danger. The patrol moved into position to deal with them, and when the enemy were only fifteen yards away, opened fire. Every German was seen to fall and the patrol then withdrew."

The paragraph does seem to imply that 5th Northamptons were forward around the period of 13th November. The lack of a known grave might imply that he was lost on such a patrol that doesn't receive a mention in the book. There is the statement that a patrol had reconnoitered the previous night.

5th Battalion's casualties for the Italian Campaign are given in their history as -

Killed - 108 (inc 9 officers)
Wounded - 346 (including 18 officers)
Missing - 44 (including 1 officer)

Unfortunately these figures are not dated.

 

It was a bit messy up there near Spaduro..after the 78th Div took it in late October 1944...it got very, very, very wet..mules were drowning.

Private Cook was the only 5th Northampton Regiment man killed on 13th Nov. 4 were killed on 8/9th Nov. It was all patrols and sporadic artillery exchanges..

best

 

thank you chaps
TD Milton is a little Northamptonshire village about 4 miles from colingtree probably married some one in the village that's why he is on the WM

 

It was in reference to this not the CWGC info

TD