THOMAS COOKSEY Parents: George Cooksey and Elizabeth (Nee Cripps). Where born: Sebastopol, Monmouthshire. Date baptised: October 1st, 1893, Panteg, Monmouthshire. Residences: 1893 - Sebastopol; 1901 - 24 Cross Street, Blaenavon; 1911 - 34 Marlborough Road, Six Bells, Abertillery. First duty overseas: September 10th, 1914. Medal entitlements: 1914 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. CWGC Details: Private, 8739, Thomas Cooksey, 19th (Queen Alexandra's Own Royal) Hussars. Killed in Action on November 25th, 1917. War Memorial: Panel 1, Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, France. Inscription at Louverval: Louverval Memorial to the Missing "TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND TO THE ENDURING MEMORY OF 7048 OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE FORCES OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE WHO FELL AT THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 20 NOVEMBER-3 DECEMBER 1917 BUT WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE THEIR NAMES ARE HERE RECORDED" The 9th Cavalry Brigade was formed April 14th, 1915, and the 1st Cavalry Division. Consisted of: 15th King's Hussars. 19th Royal (Queen Alexandra's Own) Hussars. 1/1st Bedfordshire Yeomanry. 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars. 9th Signal Troop Royal Engineers. 9th Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron. The first battle of Cambrai began on November 20th, 1917. Sir Douglas Haigh attempted to divert some of the German forces attacking Italian positions, who were suffering horrendous casualties and were in imminent danger of being over run. The resulting battle saw the introduction of the use of tanks, which were used to break through the barbed wire entanglements, allowing cavalry to charge through the gaps the tanks had made. There had been no preliminary artillery bombardment prior to the attack, and it was hoped this would give an element of surprise, allowing troops to overwhelm the German front line trenches. The attack opened at 6:20 a.m. on November 20th, 1917 in mist. The whole line of tanks swept forward, followed by the infantry, who had not had previous experience of working alongside tanks. The front of attack was 6 miles from Havrincourt to La Vacquerie. As the tanks advanced, 1,000 British guns suddenly opened fire and maintained a creeping barrage. When the Germans saw that the tanks were able to cross the Hindenburg trenches, many of them fled in panic, but at the villages there was severe fighting, due in some cases to the fact that the infantry had not been able to keep pace with the tanks. Havrincourt and Ribecourt were carried, but at Flesquieres many tanks were put out of action by field guns, and the German resistance was stubborn. At Marcoing an important bridge was captured by a tank before the Germans could destroy it; but at Masnieres, the bridge, vital for an enveloping advance against Cambrai, was so damaged that when a tank officer gallantly tried to cross it, it gave way slowly under him and finally collapsed; other tanks which arrived could not cross the Schelde Canal. Nonetheless, they enabled the infantry to force a passage, covering them with their fire. At nightfall the British had penetrated at points 10,000 yards, taking all three trenches of the Hindenburg line, and captured Graincourt, Marcoing, and Masnieres; they had isolated Flesquieres; tanks had also pushed into Bourlon Wood, but the infantry, from exhaustion, were unable to follow and support them. On November 21st, the battle was resumed with tired infantry, and tanks which had been through one great engagement already. Cantaing was taken, as also Fontaine-Notre-Dame, bringing the British close up to Cambrai on the west, but Fontaine-Notre-Dame was lost the next day to a furious German counter-attack. Nearly all Bourlon Wood was secured on November 23rd. German reserves were now arriving and efforts to take Bourlon village and to recover Fontaine-Notre-Dame failed, though they were renewed on November 25th, 26th, and 27th. The tank crews had been fought to a standstill, and the infantry were worn out. The position of Cambrai as a great railway junction enabled the Germans to bring up fresh troops from every direction. It was during the German counter attacks, that Private Thomas Cooksey was killed on November 25th, 1917. The defence they put up to try to halt the German charge resulted in very heavy casualties on both sides. The majority of those who died there were never found after the battle, as furious artillery bombardment from both sides reduced the area to a crater strewn no man's land. This information was compiled by Jon Nixey and Den Budden.