So pleased to have found this site. My interest is in John Henry Cooke the great Uncle of my husband. His service record is really fascinating
Enlisted King's Royal Rifle Corps on 09-05-1900 at Leicester aged 19 years 1 month.
Deserted from the 4th battalion 30-08-1901 South Africa.
Served in South African Light Horse from 16-01-1902 to 28-06-1902 (hmm so where was he from August 01 to January 02 and fro June 02 to March 05)
Enlisted 7th Hussars on 21-03-1905 at Potchefstroom, South Africa aged 21 years 11 months. Allocated number 6816. Deserted 24-02-1906.
Fraudulently enlisted as 8844 Bedfordshire Regiment on 31-0-1907. Stated birthplace was Holloway (north London) aged 23 years 10 months.
He was tried and found guilty his punishment was forfeit of all previous service and his pay was stopped. He was allowed to resume service with the regiment from 29-06-1907. He bought himself out for £18.00 on 15-04-1911 in Bermuda.
Served in World War I as 21213 Acting-Sergeant Leicester Rgt. Nine pounds of his discharge purchase money was refunded to him 23-10-1915 on (re-?)enlistment into the Leicestershire Rgt. Was also Acting-Sergeant 6407 Machine Gun Corps.
Next of Kin: Mother, Sarah Anne Cooke, 137 Gresham St, Leicester.
It would seem that in 1916 John Henry was caught in a bomb explosion eventually deemed well by the Army Medical Corps, in 1918 he was complaining of severe headaches and memory loss this was attributed to shell shock. This may well have been the cause of his death in 1920
