Pte. Alfred Henry HOOK Victoria Cross 1850 -1905 Churcham (General)

by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Saturday, August 16, 2008, 21:53 (5783 days ago)

Pte. Henry (Harry) Hook (1373 B Co. 24th. Regiment).

Born at Churcham in Gloucestershire in 1850.
He first served in the Monmouth Militia and enlisted into the regular army at Monmouth in
March 1877 aged 26. He received a scalp wound from a Zulu assagai at Rorke's Drift,
which, in later years caused him some discomfort. He purchased his discharge from
the regular army in June 1880, but later served 20 years in 1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal Fusiliers.

Digest of Citation reads:On 22nd and 23rd of January 1879 at Rorke's Drift, Natal, South Africa, a distant room of the hospital had been held for more than an hour by three privates, and when finally they had no ammunition left the Zulus burst in and killed one of the men and two patients. One of the men, Private J.Williams (Reg No.1313)however succeeded in making a hole in the wall large enough to get through,and taking the last two patients into the next ward, where he found Private Hook. Working together; the two men, one holding the Zulus at a distance with his bayonet, while the other managed to knock through three more partitions; and they were able to bring eight patients into the inner line of defence

After his discharge in 1880, he resided at Sydenham Hill and worked at the British Museum.
He retired in 1904 and returned to live in Gloucestershire. Interestingly, there is some mystery
about his first marriage. His wife thought he had been killed in South Africa and ran off with
someone else. Hook married again in 1897 in Islington.

He died of pulmonary tuberculosis on 12th March 1905 at Osborne Villas, Roseberry Avenue,
Gloucester and is buried at Churcham. He received his VC from Sir Garnet Wolseley,
GOC South Africa at Rorke's Drift on 3 August 1879. (His VC is in the South Wales Borderers Museum Collection).

Buried in St. Andrews Parish churchyard, Churcham, Near Gloucester. Diagonally opposite to
the entrance on the other side of the church.

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Year: 1850
Month: Sep
Day: 1
Parents_Surname: HOOK
Child_Forenames: Alfred
Fathers_Forenames: Henry
Mothers_Forenames: Ellen
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Birdwood
Occupation: Labourer
Officiating_Minister: Geo.C.Hall Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P83 IN 1/10
Page_Number: 14
Parish_Chapel: Churcham

1851
Henry Hook abt 1829 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Head Churcham, Gloucestershire
Helen Hook abt 1831 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Wife Churcham, Gloucestershire
Alfred Hook abt 1850 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Son Churcham, Gloucestershire

1861
Henry Hoak abt 1832 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Head Churcham, Gloucestershire
Eleanor Hoak abt 1834 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Wife Churcham, Gloucestershire
Alfred Hoak abt 1851 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Son Churcham, Gloucestershire
Ellen Hoak abt 1860 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Churcham, Gloucestershire
Henry Hoak abt 1857 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Son Churcham, Gloucestershire
James Hoak abt 1854 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Son Churcham, Gloucestershire
Mary Hoak abt 1853 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Churcham, Gloucestershire

1871 Newent
Alfred Hook 21
Comfort Hook 20 Kilcot
John Jones 50
Ann Jones 48

1881 Glendower St
Henry (V.C.) Hook abt 1854 Churcham, Gloucestershire, England Servant Monmouth, Monmouthshire

1891

Name: Ada Lettia Taylor
Name: Alfred Henry Hook
Year of Registration: 1897
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Islington
County: Greater London, London, Middlesex
Volume: 1b
Page: 546

1901
Henry Hook abt 1854 Gloucestershire, England Head Islington, London
Ada Hook abt 1864 London, England Wife Islington, London
Catherine Hook abt 1899 London, England Daughter Islington, London

pictures at
http://www.rrw.org.uk/news/index.htm

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