Heritage

To Comment on this article Click Here

June 25 will soon be upon us and that was the date in 1876 of the famous Little Big Horn Battle.  William Cooke was the only Canadian to fight and die in the battle.

He is buried  in Hamilton as he was a resident of that city. 

He was a personal friend of Custer and they both served in the Civil War.   Custer was a resident of Monroe Michigan. Cooke was wounded at Pertersburg Virginia in the Civil War.

Later Custer accompanied his friend on a visit to the Cooke family home in Hamilton.

Al Thompson former Southampton resident sent in a note and a picture of the headstone.  Al was a relative of Cooke, He himself was a WWII veteran.  His father was a WWI and WWII veteran.  His grandfather served in the Boar War and WWI.  A more distant direct relative was in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade.

At this time in 1876 Cooke was on the way to the Big Horn serving as Custer's Adjutant with the 7th U.S. Cavalry in the West.

Al's adventures in WWII are the subject of a story to be published in the Saugeen Times closer to Remembrance Day.  His family seemed to be at the centre of battles.

^{for world news, books, sports, movies ...}

Friday, June 10, 2011