Roll of Honour 2023

P AGE 148

W ORLD W AR II

S T . E DWARD ’ S S CHOOL , O XFORD R OLL OF H ONOUR

Name PAUL COOKE (Sec Lt)

Lef SES 1934

Arrive SES 1929

Roll Number 2474 Died 27:05:1940

Set / House G

Where COMINES, BELGIUM Serving with 1ST, OXON & BUCKS LIGHT INFANTRY

Age 24

Buried Comines Communal Cemetery, Hainaut, Belgium Remembered The St. Edward’s School WW2 Memorial

Born in Slough 1916, only son of a Buckinghamshire family. He had a distinguished career at the School and after wards especially in the sporting arena. He was a School Prefect and represented the School at Rugby Football 1933/4, Cricket 1932-4, Hockey 1933/4, Athletics (Capt), Swimming (Capt) and Boxing (Capt) teams. He was in the Modern VIth on leaving and had taken part in several School plays. Sgt in the OTC. He was in the Modern VIth Form. He went up to Trinity College, Oxford 1935-8 where he gained a BA and two Rugby Football Blues in 1936 and 1937. After leaving the varsity he played his club Rugby football for Richmond RFC (Vice Captain) and in 1937 toured South America with The Rugby Union XV. He had England trials in 1938 and won two full international caps in 1939 against Wales and Ireland. From 1939 to the outbreak of war he worked for Barclays Bank. In 1939 he was in a Officer Cadet Training Unit, then the following year was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. He was killed during the retreat on Dunkirk at the Battle of Ypres-Comines Canal, directing fire of a Bren Gun Section during an enemy breakthrough. ‘That was Paul, not only Paul the splendid athlete, but Paul as he was in all things, for the one at SES who perhaps knew him best and loved him most, can amply testify’.