Chief Steward
Robert Martin COOKE
Mercantile Marine Reserve
Died: 6th September 1915 - Age: 33

Commemorated:

    

Awards & Titles:

 

Early Life :

The majority of this legend is courtesy of Geoff Cuthill of the Province of West Lancashire, to whom the project is grateful.

Robert was born as Robert Martin on 7 December 1881 to Robert Martin and Eliza (nee Goodall) who had married at St Mary’s Church, Kirkdale on 23 January 1878. He was baptised at St Mathews on 1 January 1882, and his father died at the relatively young age of 31 in 1884/5 when Robert would only have been a three or four year old toddler. His mother re-married, age 27, on 25 June 1887 at St Paul’s, in the parish of Walton on the Hill, Liverpool to William Henry Meadows Cooke, a book-keeper. Robert would be six years old, and from this date he is known as Robert Cooke, it would not be until he reached maturity that he began using the name of Robert Martin Cooke.

The address Robert gives at his initiation in 1903 corresponds to the address of the family home as given on the 1901 census, which was taken on 31 March. Robert is not included on the return which is soon explained by looking at the surviving crew lists of the port of Liverpool. At this period Robert is working as a waiter aboard the Cunard transatlantic liner, Saxonia, and these records also show his home address at the time, which is 82 Fonthill Road. Robert over a period of time advanced his career from a Waiter to Steward, Second Steward, and eventually to Chief Steward. His whole career at sea was of a continuous nature all spent with the Cunard Line including long spells on the Ivernia and the Carmania.

The census returns give full details of Robert’s family, although the enumerator has their name as Cook The first return is in 1891 at 10 Pansy Street Kirkdale showing Robert age 9, with step-father William Henry and mother Eliza, both age 30, William as a railway goods clerk and Eliza a midwife. There are also two younger half-siblings of Robert, Ellen Jane age 6, and William age 2. As mentioned previous, 1901 shows the family at Fonthill Road, and added to the family are Maud Lillian age 7, Stanley 5 and George Reginald 1. The 1911 census has William and his family living at 11 Croxteth Road, Bootle, and employed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

On 3 August 1907 twenty five year old Robert married Isabella Roden age 24, the daughter of Alfred Henry Roden, who had been his proposer when he joined Ancient Union Lodge. The 1911 census shows their son Leslie Martin Cooke, born 13 June 1908 staying at Arthur’s house at 48 Priory Road, Anfield, his mother Isabella having died the previous year age 27.

The last Cunard vessel Robert served on was “H.M.S.Caronia” in the capacity of Chief Steward, in the Mercantile Marine Reserve. This vessel was built on Clydeside, by John Brown & Co. Ltd. for the Cunard Company, and launched in July 1904, at that time being the largest ship in the fleet. Just prior to the outbreak of war in 1914 the vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to an armed merchant cruiser on the River Mersey. This was in all likelihood at the Cammell Laird Yard, Birkenhead where he was fitted and armed with eight guns of a 4.7 inch calibre and placed under Admiralty control. Just eleven days after her conversion she captured the German ship “Odessa” which was carrying a cargo of nitrate on 19 August 1914.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Caronia 

Action : Naval Accident 

During the war there were a number of Naval Accidents which we have isolated because of their shocking caualties and the corresponding impact on members of the craft. There were a number of vessels destroyed in port by explosions which we would today categorise as 'Health & Safety' failures.

Detail :

The ship was sent over to patrol the Atlantic seaboard off operating mainly between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and down to New York before returning to Liverpool. Arriving in Liverpool on 15 May 1915 the vessel stayed in port restocking and undergoing an overhaul before leaving on 3 July for Bermuda and then up to Halifax. She continued patrol out of Halifax returning on 30 August 1915, anchoring within the Bedford Basin. It was here on 6 September 1915 while spending the day getting ready for sea and taking aboard stores that a collision occurred late in the evening between a boat from Caronia and that from HMS Leviathan. It is probable that this was the cause of the death by drowning of Robert, along with Midshipman Elystan Tidmarsh Day RNR age 19. Also reported missing at this time was Ernest G Saint of the Royal Marine Light Infantry attached to HMS Leviathan, age 18 from Ringwood in Hampshire. Roberts body was recovered the following day at 1.30 pm, but that of Elystan was not found. Ernest Day was likewise recovered and buried in the same cemetery as Robert. Robert was buried on 8 September in the local St John’s cemetery in Plot P. Naval S.Q.

The photograph shown here of Robert was taken aboard the Caronia just prior to his death, taken by the ships chef Harry Russel. Harry must have been a keen photographer as he put together over one hundred photographs from the voyage into an album, even showing divers searching for Robert and Elystan,. The album was kept safely by the family and is now under the care of Harry Russell’s great grand-daughter Eleanor Williams who has made it available for all to enjoy.


Robert’s grave has a rather personal solid granite headstone, pictured here by courtesy of “The Friends of St John’s” in Halifax and is inscribed with the following details,’ IN MEMORY OF ROBERT M COOKE, CHIEF STEWARD HMS CARONIA, WHO WAS ACCIDENTALLY DROWNED, IN HALIFAX HARBOUR SEPT 6 1915, AGED 33 YEARS’. Underneath this it is further inscribed, ‘AS A TRIBUTE TO THE HIGH ESTEEM, IN WHICH HE WAS HELD THIS MEMORIAL, WAS ERECTED BY THE CREW OF ABOVE SHIP’.

The index of Wills and probate for 1916 has “Cooke, Robert Martin of 28 Sunbury Road, Anfield, Liverpool ship’s chief steward died 6th September 1915 at sea. Probate Liverpool 6th January 1916 to Alfred Henry Roden cabinet maker. Effects £156.16s.4d “

Robert’s son, Leslie Martin Cooke left Liverpool at sometime and eventually settled and married in Australia. He fought in WW2 as a member of the 2nd Australian Infantry force, and died in 1956

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Ancient Union and Princes No. 203 E.C.West Lancashire

Initiated
Passed
Raised
12th February 1903
16th April 1903
13th June 1903
 

Robert Martin Cooke had his name put forward for ballot by the members of the Enquiry Committee of Ancient Union Lodge No 203 on 12 February 1903. He was subsequently initiated into the Lodge on 19 February 1903 while residing at 82 Fonthill Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool, occupation given as a “Steward”. His proposer was W Bro Alfred H Roden and this was seconded by Bro’s Arthur Richard Catchpole and Donald McKenzie. Robert was passed to the second degree on 16 April and raised to the degree of Master Mason on 13 June with his Grand Lodge Certificate issued 7 December 1903.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2021-02-27 08:48:34