Gunner Wallace Cooke, 43618, 187th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, was killed in action in France on October 2nd, 1918. He was one of five men killed in the 8pm attack, with many more injured, including Sgt W. Evans, a wounded chum in hospital who wrote to widow Florence Maud Cooke at 47 Rothesay Road, Luton.

Wallace had been looking forward to coming home on leave, having been at the front for about a year since his last leave.

The 27-year-old was son of William and Annie Cook, of 31 Adelaide Street, Luton. He had been in the hairdressing business there from the age of 17, and was a member of the Luton Master Hairdressers' Association. He was also a member of Luton Liberal Club.

Wallace had given up his business to join up in September 1915 and had been in France for about two-and-a-half years during which time he suffered one slight case of gassing.

He had married Florence Maud Hutchins at Christ Church, Luton, on March 4th, 1914, and had a son, Ralph, born at the end of that year.