Geoffrey Charles Sidney Bancroft Cooke (8 September 1897 – 4 December 1980) was an English first-class cricketer and

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. Initially serving in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

, he later attended the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

following the conclusion of the war. After completing his studies, he served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

from 1922–1948, serving in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He also played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

for the British Army cricket team.

Life and military career

The son of Lieutenant Colonel Sidney Fitzwyman Cooke and his wife, Alice Eliza Bancroft, he was born at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

and educated at Charterhouse School. After completing his education at Charterhouse, he served in the

with the

, enlisting as a second lieutenant in October 1916. After the war, he attended Pembroke College, Cambridge. He graduated from Pembroke in 1922, upon which he reenlisted with the

. He was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in September 1922. He was seconded to the Experimental Establishment at Shoeburyness in April 1924. He made his debut in

for the British Army cricket team against the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

at Lord's in 1925, before making a second first-class appearance for the Army against

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

Fenner's Fenner's is Cambridge University Cricket Club's ground. History Cambridge University Cricket Club had previously played at two grounds in Cambridge, the University Ground and Parker's Piece. In 1846, Francis Fenner leased a former cherry orchard ...

in 1926. He scored a total of 25 runs in his two matches, as well as taking 6 wickets with best figures of 4 for 39. He returned to the Royal Artillery in February 1928, and attended the Gunnery Staff Course in September 1929, during which he was promoted to the rank of captain in June 1930. He returned the Royal Artillery in January 1931, but was seconded to the Pembroke Royal Garrison Artillery as an adjutant in November 1932. He transferred to the Glamorgan Royal Garrison Artillery in December 1933. He returned to Shoeburyness in November 1936, and by August 1938 held the rank of major. Having served in the

, he retired from active service in May 1948, at which point he was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel. Cooke died at the age of 83 in December 1980 at

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...

, Berkshire.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Geoffrey 1897 births 1980 deaths Cricketers from Westminster People educated at Charterhouse School Royal Garrison Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Royal Artillery officers English cricketers Military personnel from London British Army cricketers British Army personnel of World War II