Dear Sirs
I am looking for my great grandfather Frederick Charles Cook, born in Worcester on 8th October 1890. His obituary states that he was serving with the Worcestershire Regiment in the Great War in France and Belgium. That he won the Military Cross at Passchendale where he was seriously wounded. It goes on to say that during the Second World War he was employed by the Ministry of Information on Propaganda. The trouble is, I can't find him on any MC lists, I admit I may not have looked in the right places and I can't find his enlistment papers at all. I have found two Frederick Cook's in the Medal Rolls for the Worcestershire Regiment during the Great War: F Cook A/sjt Rg no 26011 and F Cook Pte Rg no 20781/242618. I can't find him in the London Gazette either and he doesn't appear on the Absent Voters list for Worcester like his two brothers. I do have a photo of him in his later years as Mayor of Hythe, Kent, wearing an array of eight medals starting with the MC, then a 1914 or 1914/15 star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Probably 39/45 Star, 2 WWII Campaign Stars and lastly a War Medal. By this time he is recorded in his obituary as being Colonel Francis Frederick Charles Cooke. He did become estranged from his family after his wife died in childbirth in 1919 and he had no contact with his infant son (my grandfather) who was brought up by Frederick's sibling Thomas Edwin Cook CPl Royal Engineers 119th Railway Co, in Worcester.
I would very much like to know if you can identify if either of these Fredericks are my great grandfather and if he was indeed wounded at Passchendale and awarded the Military Cross. Also, does anyone know of any employment records for the Ministry of Information or would it still be service records that I need to find? I am certain this is a very tall order and any help you can give me, will be most gratefully appreciated. Thanks.