COOKSON, Alfred Henry
(Service number 6/3285)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 4 January 1888 | Place of Birth | Ashburton |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 25 August 1915 | Age | 27 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Westerfield, Ashburton | ||
| Occupation | Shepherd | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | W. COOKSON (father), Westerfield, Ashburton | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 8th Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | |||
| Transport | Willochra or Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Regiment | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1815 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 13 November 1970 | Age | 82 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Salisbury Park Crematorium, Timaru | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Alfred Henry Cookson was born on 4 January 1888 at Ashburton, the second son of William and Esther (née Carson) Cookson. When he enlisted on 25 August 1915 at Trentham, he gave his address as Westerfield, Ashburton, that is, the address of his parents. He may have been at Morven previously. He did, indeed, leave Waimate by the first express on Wednesday, 25 August 1915, for the Eight Reinforcements. He was a shepherd, single and Presbyterian, and he named his father as next-of-kin – W. Cookson, Westerfield, Ashburton.
Alfred H. Cookson embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 8thy Reinforcements. In August 1916 he was admitted to the Bevan Military Hospital at Sandgate, Kent, suffering from bronchitis. He returned to New Zealand by Draft 186 which was due to arrive in mid October 1918. His intended address was Maungati, Timaru. He was discharged on 25 March 1919 and awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. From April 1916 the name of A. H. Cookson appeared regularly on the Waimate Daily Advertiser Roll of Honour under the sub-title of Answered the Call.
“MORVEN.
SOLDIERS HONOURED
In our report of the welcome social held at Morven on 15tli inst, we had not the names of the men honoured on that occasion. This is the complete list of names: —
Medals presented to next of kin of the following men who gave their lives, for the Empire: . . . . . .
The following returned men received medals as tokens of honour from Morven residents: . . . . . , A H Cookson, , . . . . .” [Waimate Daily Advertiser, 19 May 1919.] The whole of the people of Morven and surrounding districts had turned out to welcome home returned soldiers. The hall, which had been tastefully decorated, was packed by eight o’clock, “late comers being unable to gain admission”. A short concert – musical items, Scotch recitations – preceded the welcome addresses and presentation of medals. The presentation of medals to the next-of-kin of eighteen local boys who had made the supreme sacrifice, was very solemn. “As a bereaved mother, or a sorrowing yet proud father came forward to receive the district’s token of honour and sympathy, one was forced to realise the tragedy of war.” Supper – for some five hundred people – followed and the “inevitable dance”.
Alfred married Amelia Isabella Corry in 1919. From 1919 they farmed at Maungati for many years. Alfred Henry Cookson died on 13 November 1970 at Timaru, aged 82 years, and was cremated at Salisbury Park Crematorium, Timaru. Amelia died in 1972 and was cremated also.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museumm Cenotaph Database [04 July 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [07 July 2022]; Dominion, 1 June 1917, 18 September 1917, Waimate Daily Advertiser, 21 August 1915, 26 April 1916, 30 May 1918, 19 May 1919, Otago Daily Times, 25 August 1916, NZ Times, 12 October 1918, Timaru Herald, 22 May 1919 (Papers Past) [18 September 2019; 05 & 15 July 2022]
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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