On Wednesday 27 October, on what was the Western Front just over a century ago, 38 year old Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Robert Cook of 2nd Battalion The Essex Regiment, was finally laid to rest with full military honours in the presence of his family. The service was organised by the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the 'MOD War Detectives' and was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's (CWGC) New Irish Farm Cemetery, near Ypres in Belgium.
L/Cpl Robert Cook was born in Bishop Wilton in the East Riding of Yorkshire, on 6 June 1876 and was one of seven children. From his surviving family, his great nephew Arthur Cook and his great niece Sally Cooper both attended as well as members of C 'Essex' Company of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, who supplied both the bearer and firing parties for the ceremony.
Rosie Barron, JCCC said:
"It has been a privilege to have worked with The Royal Anglian Regiment to organise this burial service for LCpl Cook and to have buried him in the presence of his family.
"None of this would have been possible without the help of Maj Ret'd Peter Williamson MBE and The Essex Regiment Museum, who painstakingly searched their records ultimately leading to the identification of this casualty as LCpl Cook."
L/Cpl Cook joined The Essex Regiment in November 1914 aged 38, and soon arrived on the Western Front on 14 March 1915.
Arthur Cook, great nephew of L/Cpl Cook said:
"It is absolutely amazing that someone who gave his life over a hundred years ago, along with many thousands of others, should be remembered in such a way. He has laid unidentified in an unmarked grave for over one hundred years and we are now able to commemorate him, remember his contribution to British history, and record part of his story on a headstone for future generations to see.
"Our thanks go to the Reverend Gary Birch CF and all the members of the Royal Anglian Regiment who have taken part in this service. The fact that members of Robert Cook's family are here in Ypres and able to finally lay him to rest in a marked grave with the dignity and honour that he deserves is all due to the excellent detective work of Rosie Barron of the MOD's Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre who we cannot thank enough."
Sally Cooper, great niece of L/Cpl Cook said:
"We are honoured to be able to attend the funeral of a member of the family who had served his country in the three conflicts and we would like the express our thanks to Rosie whose efforts led to his identification."
How L/Cpl Cook was identified
Between 2014 and 2015, 24 sets of remains were found during construction work at what is believed to have been the site of Irish Farm Cemetery on the outskirts of Ypres. Irish Farm was in use as a Regimental Aid Post in May 1915 at the time of L/Cpl Cook's death. It had previously been thought that after the Great War, the graves in Irish Farm Cemetery had all been moved to New Irish Farm Cemetery, a short distance away - 19 of these soldiers were buried in September 2017 with full military honours (see JCCC gov.uk for
