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 17663February 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 counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, 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 Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,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 Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith (21 June 176426 May 1840) was a British naval and intelligence officer. Serving in the American and French revolutionary wars and Napoleonic Wars, he rose to the rank of Admiral. Smith was known for his of ...

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 culture, ...

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 French First Republic, France against Ki ...

, 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 Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

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 of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(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