Born in Stockport.
Enlisted at Manchester on the 22nd of March 1855.
Age: 19.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Weaver.
Appearance: Fresh complexion. Hazel eyes. Brown hair.
Transferred to the 7th Hussars at Aldershot on the 1st of August 1857. Regimental No. 107. Is named as "James Cooke" in the 7th Hussar musters.
From Private to Corporal: 7th of July 1864.
Corporal to Sergeant: 5th of March 1876.
Re-engaged for a further 12 years' service on the 26th of October 1867.
Discharged from Edinburgh on the 11th of November 1876.
"Claimed, after second period of limited service."
Served 21 years 236 days.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 9 months. India,
12 years 4 months.
Conduct: "very good". Was, when promoted, in possession of two Good Conduct badges and would now have had four.
Four times entered in the Regimental Defaulter' book. Never tried by Court-martial.
Leg broken at Manchester in 1876. Proceedings of any Court of Enquiry are missing.
Documents confirm the award of the Crimean, Turkish, Mutiny, with clasp for Lucknow, and the Long Service & Good Conduct medals.
To live at No. 53 Wellington Road South, Stockport, Cheshire.
Entitled to the Crimean medal only. (See record of 1941 Samuel Briggs.)
Landed in the Crimea after the 9th of September 1855 but is specially entitled to the Crimean medal in consequence of having served with the Regiment during the Expedition to Eupatoria during the month of October of that same year... Camp Aldershot, 16th of November 1857.
Mutiny medal with clasp for Lucknow.
Served in the field in Oude, East Indies, from the 4th of February — 14th of May 1858, and including the siege of Lucknow. (There is a "James Cook" and a "John Cook" on the medal roll of the 7th Hussars for the Mutiny medal but the latter is shown as being entitled to the medal without clasp).
Awarded the L. S & G. C. medal on the 2nd of August 1873.
Not recorded by Lummis and Wynn.
His Crimean medal (without clasp) and stated to be with "officially impressed naming" to "J. Cook. 4th Lt. Dgns." was offered by the Liverpool Coin and Medal Co. in their list for April of 1982. This Crimean medal appeared again in a Liverpool Coin and Medal's list for May of 1985.