Major John Cook
VC (28 August 1843 – 19 December 1879) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
recipient of the
Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
British and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
forces. An officer of the
Bengal Staff Corps who transferred to the
5th Gurkha Rifles
5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army.
The regiment's battalions served ...
, Cook was a veteran of the
Umbeyla Campaign who received the VC posthumously for his actions during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War.
Early life
Born in
Edinburgh, Cook was educated at
Edinburgh Academy before attending the
Scottish Naval and Military Academy in
Edinburgh from 1856 to 1858, Dr Greig's School in
London from 1858 to 1859, and finally the
Royal India Military College at
Addiscombe from 1859 to 1860.
Military career
Cook sailed to India in late 1861 at the age of eighteen, joining the
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
,
Bengal Staff Corps as an
Ensign before being promoted
Lieutenant on 29 March 1862, and soon after his arrival was posted to the
3rd Sikh Infantry
The 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1847 as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry The Frontier Brigade. It was designated as the 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion ...
.
He was
mentioned in despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
for his services in the
Umbeyla Campaign in 1863, and also distinguished himself while serving as
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
of his regiment in the Black Mountain campaign,
Hazara Expedition of 1868 on the
North West Frontier.
[Hensman (2009), p.242]
After being promoted
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on 19 December 1872, Cook transferred to the
5th Gurkha Rifles
5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army.
The regiment's battalions served ...
as Wing Commander in 1873.
[
On 24 September 1878 at the beginning of the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the 5th Gurkha Rifles were warned for active service, and in October proceeded from ]Abbottabad
Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourth ...
to Thal. Here it joined Sir Frederick Robert's Kurram Valley Field Force. Cook crossed the frontier with his regiment as part of Brigadier-General Thelwall's 2nd Brigade and following the reconnaissance of Peiwar Kotal Pass, won his Victoria Cross on the slopes of the Spingawai Kotal, or White Cow Pass. Captain Cook led repeated charges against enemy barricades with a joint force of 5th Gurkhas and 72nd Highlanders. At dawn, as the Afghans fled their positions, Cook collected a few men and charged and killed a large number of enemy who were trying to rescue one of their guns before going to the aide of Major Galbraith. Cook's helmet was pierced by an enemy bullet.
Gallantry recognized
Just days after the action, Major Galbraith wrote to General Roberts a report dated 'Camp near Zabbardast Kila, 5 December 1878:[
]
Victoria Cross
He was 35 years old, and a captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the Bengal Staff Corps, British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
, and 5th Gurkha Rifles
5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), also abbreviated as 5 GR(FF) is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was formed in 1858 as part of the British Indian Army.
The regiment's battalions served ...
during the Second Anglo-Afghan War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
He was promoted to the 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 ...
rank of major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
on 22 November 1879 in recognition of his services during the Afghan Campaign.[Weekes (2009), pp.61–62]
Death in action
Cook was attached to Macpherson's Brigade during the December 1879 Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment at Kabul. On 11 December, Cook participated in the attempt to attack the Afghans in the rear at Argundeh but – faced by overwhelming numbers – they were forced to fall back towards Sherpur. Late in the day, Cook distinguished himself in the rearguard action which saved the brigade's baggage. He fought a determined throng of Afghans, and resorted to a bayonet charge which he led with his brother, Lieutenant Walter Cook, 3rd Sikhs, which forced the Afghans to withdraw. Unfortunately Walter Cook was shot in the chest and was carried wounded to the Sherpur Cantonment and John Cook received a head wound.[
The next day, 12 December, John Cook was still able to take part in the attack on the That-i-Shah peak, which dominated the high ground around Kabul. During this action Major Cook received a fatal wound, being struck by a bullet that passed through the bone of his left leg below the knee. After spending the night on the hill in the open he was taken to the hospital at the besieged Sherpur, but died of wounds on 19 December 1879.][
On 21 December 1879, Major John Cook was buried in the Sherpur Cantonment British Cemetery, locally known as the 'Gora Kabar' which literally means 'White Graveyard'. He was ]mentioned in despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
by Frederick Roberts on 23 January 1880.
Medals and awards
* Victoria Cross on 21 March 1879.
* Mentioned in Despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...
in May 1880.
* India General Service Medal (1854–1895) with clasps "North West Frontier" and "Umbeyla"
* Afghanistan Medal (1878–1880) with clasps "Peiwar Kotal", "Charisia" and "Kabul"
The Victoria Cross and campaign medals awarded to Cook were sold on 17 September 2004 by the London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb
Noonans Mayfair, formerly Dix Noonan Webb, is an auction house based in London. It specialises in coins, medals, jewellery and paper money. Since being established, the firm has sold over 400,000 lots.
Noonans was established in 1990 as Buckland D ...
for £82,000. They were purchased for the Michael Ashcroft Trust, the holding institution for Lord Ashcroft's VC collection, which is displayed at the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
in London.
See also
* List of Brigade of Gurkhas recipients of the Victoria Cross
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
* Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
* The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
* Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
External links
Burial location of John Cook
"Afghanistan"
"John Cook's Victoria Cross sold at auction"
*
Memorial to Major J Cook VC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, John
1843 births
1879 deaths
People educated at Edinburgh Academy
British recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Indian Army personnel killed in action
Military personnel from Edinburgh
Second Anglo-Afghan War recipients of the Victoria Cross
British military personnel of the Umbeyla Campaign
Bengal Staff Corps officers
British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Burials in Afghanistan