Current Information:

Born-Whitechapel

Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France

Herbert Cloake died from wounds on 26th November, 1914, after having been sent back to a base hospital on the coast but it is not known when, nor in what circumstances he was wounded. Artillery men faced many dangers and during the course of the war nearly 50,000 of them were killed. Their gun batteries were targeted by the enemy’s guns which accounted for many of their casualties. Others were sent forward to act as ‘spotters’ which meant going forward to the front line and signalling back to the guns necessary changes in target and other vital information. Keeping the batteries supplied with ammunition was a dangerous task as the enemy guns would target the known supply routes, especially at night. Brigade Diaries rarely shine any light on casualties sustained, unless of course they were officers and even then information is sparse.

32 Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery was a unit of Britain’s pre-war regular army and went to France in August 1914 as part of 4th Division.