Orders, Decorations and Medals

Military General Service 1793-1814, 1 clasp, Albuhera (George Cooke, 23rd Foot) contact marks and edge bruising, otherwise very fine and scarce £800-1000

Ex Palmer Collection 1919.

George Cooke was born in Ballingham, Essex, a Cabinet Maker by trade. He is shown on the muster roll for the period 25 April to 24 May 1811 as ‘wounded’, and in the subsequent muster as being in the General Hospital, after which he is shown as being in hospital at Hilsea until 12 June, 1812, when he was admitted to Chelsea Hospital as a Pensioner. From this information it is clear that he had been wounded at the battle of Albuhera on 16 May 1811. Another George Cooke, a Weaver from Denbeigh, is shown in the musters for this period but in each case he is on duty in Lisbon and could not have been present at Albuhera. A third George Cooke was present at Waterloo but he was a Labourer from Chester, which leaves the above George Cooke as the only possible recipient for this M.G.S. medal. The regiment had 57 men killed, 7 died, and 42 wounded at Albuhera. Only two officers and 4 men of the 23rd Foot lived to receive a single-clasp medal for Albuhera.