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Why a Croix de guerre ?

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Martin

Martin Report 11 Jan 2012 21:30

I am helping a friend with his family tree. He knows very little about his ancestors, but he does have a Croix de guerre medal that was awarded to his father Richard Cooke Army No. 790153 . I am struggling to find out anything about him, and why he was awarded the medal. Are there any records available on the internet which may shed some light on this?

GlitterBaby

GlitterBaby Report 11 Jan 2012 21:40

WW1 or WW2

Not that I know anything about medals

Researching:
PLEASE DO NOT: send me information concerning your thread on the board as it should be posted on your request where all members can see it. PLEASE DO NOT: ask me for help with lookups as they should be placed on the boards to get the best possible result. PLEASE DO NOT: open your tree just because I have posted information on your thread as I will not be related. THANK YOU. Researching Carter, Cass and Walker in England. Researching Caven, McKill, Sutherland and Will in Scotland.

Martin

Martin Report 11 Jan 2012 21:58

It was WW2 Thanks for the links, I did try googling but didnt find those sites.
The national archives are showing some documents for him , so hopefully that should help. It seems unusual that his rank is MARECHAL DES LEGIS , I have no idea what this is , seems strange for an English man..

was plain ann now annielaurie

was plain ann now annielaurie Report 11 Jan 2012 22:01

The reference on the documentsonline site given to you by allotment will give you the citation for the medal - ie why he was awarded it. It will cost you £3-50 to download it.

Martin

Martin Report 11 Jan 2012 22:14

Was it common for English men to have a French rank awarded to them while in Royal army Corps ?

DIZZI

DIZZI Report 12 Jan 2012 02:08

WO 373/185 . COOKE, R MARECHAL DES LEGIS 790153 23 ROYAL ARMOURED CORPS FOREIGN TO BRITISH: FRANCE CROIX DE GUERRE - FROM FRANCE: 10 MAY 1940 - 1 JAN

http://www.hut-six.co.uk/WW2data/WO373-185.html

Researching:
FINCH+LOCK+WEAVER+HALES+BROOKINGS+MANSFIELD+HOOK+TITCHENER and STEVEN & ISRAEL WEAVER c1735

DIZZI

DIZZI Report 12 Jan 2012 11:38

Name Cooke, R
Rank: Marechal des Legis
Service No: 790153
Regiment: 23 Royal Armoured Corps
Theatre of Combat or Operation: Foreign to British: France
Award: Croix de Guerre

Date 1940-1947
Catalogue reference WO 373/185

Researching:
FINCH+LOCK+WEAVER+HALES+BROOKINGS+MANSFIELD+HOOK+TITCHENER and STEVEN & ISRAEL WEAVER c1735

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 12 Jan 2012 11:43

Has your friend considered requesting his father's WW2 records? There is a charge of £30, and it may be a few months before they are sent. If his father or mother are still living, they can apply at no cost

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/service_records.html

Researching:
Dormant member as from 20 Sep 2019 . Click on my board name to send a message

Potty

Potty Report 12 Jan 2012 13:56

Have you looked for his entry on the CWGC - quite often the details of the cemetary contain references to which battles those buried there took part in.

Martin

Martin Report 13 Jan 2012 15:03

Thanks everyone for the tips, we downloaded the page that was on the national archive , it was a small paragraph all in french so we need to find a translator :-)