Frederick James Cook (31 January 1870 – 30 November 1915) was a South African
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er who played in one Test match in 1896.
Cook was a right-handed batsman who played for Eastern Province from the 1893–94 season to 1904–05. He made his highest score in March 1894 in his first-ever first-class innings, when he captained Eastern Province and scored 59 and 28.
In 1895–96, he played in the first Test match between
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
Lord Hawke
Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke (16 August 1860 – 10 October 1938), generally known as Lord Hawke, was an English amateur cricketer active from 1881 to 1911 who played for Yorkshire and England. He was born in Willingham by Stow, near ...
. Batting at number nine, he made 7 out of a total of 93 in the first innings and failed to score in the second innings, when South Africa were bowled out for 30, with
George Lohmann
George Alfred Lohmann (2 June 1865 – 1 December 1901) was an English cricketer, regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Statistically, he holds the lowest lifetime Test bowling average among bowlers with more than fifteen wickets ...
taking eight wickets for seven runs. In this second innings, Cook was the first dismissal in a Lohmann
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
which finished the match.
At the outbreak of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Cook was commissioned in the
Border Regiment
The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot.
After service in ...
and quickly promoted to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. He was sent to
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east.
Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
, where he was attached to the 1/4th Battalion (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles) of the
Royal Scots
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England ...
. He was killed in action on 30 November 1915.
Nigel McCrery
Nigel Colin McCrery (30 October 1953 – 6 February 2025) was an English screenwriter, producer and writer. He was the creator of the long-running crime dramas ''Silent Witness'' (1996–present) and ''New Tricks'' (2003–2015).
Early life
McCr ...
, ''Final Wicket: Test and First Class Cricketers Killed in the Great War'', Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, 2015. p. 170.