Cook, James Augustus

4261 Shoeing Smith James Augustus Cook - 14th Field Artillery Brigade AIF

James Augustus Cook was born on the 27th May 1885 to John and Alice Cook. He was one of eleven siblings with; Thomas 1886, Levena 1887, Rebecca 1889, Angelleta 1891, Nelson 1892, Levi 1895, Edward 1897, Evelyn 1899, Phyllis 1901 and Raymond 1903.

The family lived in Fremantle and James was educated here.

In 1910 the family were living in south street on the outskirts of Fremantle  where they had a farm/market garden. James was working here and was working at the family Grocery Store in South Street Fremantle. The property they farmed was in North Lake Road.

After leaving school James had taken up working at the family grocery store but then left for the country where he became a station hand.

On the 6th September 1915 James Enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 4 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 133lbs;

Chest Measurement - 34-26 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment James was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to a depot training unit. He was then taken through the basics of infantry work for the next six weeks. On the 13th November 1915 James was assigned to the 13th Reinforcements to the 16th Battalion AIF.

James trained with this group in Fremantle for the next three months. On the 29th January 1916 they had received their embarkation orders and entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Runic. The ship then set sail for Egypt, arriving at Alexandria on the 26th February 1916.

The men were then disembarked and sent to the AIF reinforcement camp. James never joined the 16th Battalion but instead was transferred to the 5th Australian Division Artillery. He was given the rank of Driver and assigned to the 115th Battery of the 14th Field Artillery Brigade. On the 21st May 1916 he was given the rank of Shoeing Smith which was responsible for keeping the horses in good condition. This rank was also sometimes called Farrier.

On the 18th June 1916 James and his unit departed Egypt aboard a troopship from Alexandria Harbour and set sail for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 27th June 1916.

The men were then entrained north for the Armentieres sector. They would have their first experience of Western Front trench life in this sector. They were almost immediately thrown into their first action on July 19th 1916 during the battle of Fromelles.

After this action they remained in the Armentieres sector till October 1916 when they were transferred to the Somme battlefield. During the 1916/17 French winter James was kept very busy keeping the horses properly shod, amidst the wet, muddy and freezing conditions.

James survived this period unscathed and then in March 1917 when the Germans began their withdrawal to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line, the Australian and British units followed closely and several sharp actions were fought from March to May 1917. James unit supported the infantry actions around this period.

In June 1917 the 5th Division were withdrawn from the front for a well deserved rest period. The infantry had three months out of the line but the 5th Division artillery were back in action in July 1917. From July 31st 1917 James and his unit were supporting the British infantry actions during the Third Battle of Ypres. This went from July 31st to November 1917. James was able to have a break midway through this time as on the 11th September 1917 he was granted a two week furlough to the UK.

From December 1917 to March 1918 the 14th Field Artillery Brigade moved south east of Ypres, supporting the front line between Ypres and Messines.

As a result of the German Spring Offensive of March 21st 1918 the Germans broke through the British line further south. As a result the Australians were sent south to the Somme to help stop this advance. The 5th Division Artillery were sent to cover the Somme River and Villers Bretonneux region. They were in this sector from April till August 8th 1918.

When the August 8th offensive broke through the German lines, the Australian artillery were following up their advancing infantry and providing artillery support from August 8th through to October 1918. James again came through unscathed.

On the 25th October 1918 he was given two weeks leave to England and returned to his unit on the 10th November 1918. The following day the Armistice was announced.

When the German withdrew to their own borders, the Australians were sent into what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France. James remained with his unit as a Shoeing Smith through to the 1st April 1919. He then spent a week at the Base Depot on the French coast at Etaples. On the 8th April James was sent to England and sent to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth. He would now wait here to be assigned a berth on a troopship home.

On the 1st June 1919 James boarded the transport ship Somali and set sail for Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.

James was discharged from the AIF on the 30th August 1919.

On the 24th March 1920 he married Nicoletta Florence Freeman and they would have three children, John in 1921, Audrey in 1923 and Lesley in 1928.

The family were living at 25 Little Howard Street in 1922 (Later renumbered 7 Little Howard Street-needs to be added to addresses as not showing)

In 1925 the family moved to 70 John Street North Fremantle though they were only there for a few years as in 1931 they were now residing at 32 curedale street Beaconsfield. During this time James was working as a woodcutter. They lived here through to the 1940's when they moved to Sayers Street in Midland Junction.

Sadly his wife Nicoletta died on the 27th May 1941 in midland junction and was buried in Fremantle Cemetery.

James lived for many more years, dying aged 83 on the 5th March 1969. He then rejoined his wife and was buried in their shared Fremantle Cemetery Plot Anglican Mon A6 0211.

(Photo of James courtesy of the Cook family)