Current Information:

Enlisted-Kennington

Le Touret Military Cemetery, Richebourg-l'Avoue, France

The 24th London battalion arrived in France in March, 1915 to become part of 142 Brigade of the newly formed 47th Division. But first they were attached to 1st Division to undergo trench warfare training at Richebourg-St Vaast with the 1st South Wales Borderers and 2nd Welsh battalions. Frederick Cook was killed on 29th April while the battalion was undergoing this training but the battalion diary provides no information concerning his death. The attrition rate among British soldiers on the Western Front was on average 300 each day and 60% of these were as a result of shellfire. When not involved in an actual battle it was either shell fire or a sniper’s bullet that caused most deaths and injuries.