Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Sir George Cooke (''bapt.'' 26 August 1766
3February 1837) was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer who commanded the
1st Division, under overall command of the
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands.
The title ...
, at the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
.
Early life and education
Cooke was the son and heir of George John Cooke of
Harefield
Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, northwest of Charing Cross near Greater London's boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north. The population at the 2011 Census was 7,399. Haref ...
, MP for
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
, and Penelope Bowyer, daughter of
Sir William Bowyer, 3rd Baronet of Denham Court. His father, the son of
George Cooke, descended from a line of
prothonotaries of the
Court of Common Pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
. Educated at
Harrow and at the military school in
Caen, Normandy, in 1784 Cooke was appointed an
ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the 10th
Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
. His brothers were General Sir
Henry Frederick Cooke
Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Cooke ('Kangkook') CB, KCH (bapt. 13 April 1783''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812'' – 10 March 1837), was a British soldier and Tory politician.
He was the son o ...
and naval officer
Edward Cooke while his sister was Penelope Anne "Kitty" Cooke.
After his father's death, his mother remarried Major-Gen. Edward Smith, uncle to Admiral
Sir Sidney Smith.
Career
Cooke achieved his lieutenancy in 1792, followed shortly by his captaincy.
In March 1794, he joined the Guards in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
and was appointed ''
aide-de-camp'' to Major General Sir
Samuel Hulse
Field Marshal Sir Samuel Hulse, GCH (27 March 1746 – 1 January 1837) was a British Army officer. He saw his first active duty during the Gordon Riots in June 1780 before commanding the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards at ...
.
He served throughout the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
, in Flanders and Holland, at the conclusion of which he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, despite being severely wounded in 1799.
From 1803 until early 1805, he held the post of assistant adjutant-general of the north west district.
After receiving the rank of
brevet colonel in 1808, he participated in the ill-fated 1809
Schelde expedition.
After posts in
Cadiz, he went to Holland in 1813 with the
Brigade of Guards
The Brigade of Guards was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1856 to 1968. It was commanded by the Major-General commanding the Brigade of Guards and was responsible for administering the guards regiments.
After the Second Wor ...
and took part in the ill-fated
Siege of Bergen op Zoom the following year where he was described as a "prudent and humane commander".
In 1815 was on Wellington's staff at the Battle of Waterloo, where he lost his right arm.
For his services at Waterloo he was made a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...
(KCB) on 22June 1815 and a Knight of St George of Russia.
He became
Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth and General Officer Commanding
South-West District in 1819.
He died, unmarried, at Harefield Park on 3February 1837.
Sources
;Bibliography
*
*
;Attribution
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, George
British Army major generals
British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
English amputees
Grenadier Guards officers
People educated at Harrow School
1837 deaths
1766 births
Recipients of the Waterloo Medal
Knights Third Class of the Military Order of William