Brooke, W A C (1890 – 1915),
William Alfred Cotterill Brooke was born on 19th October 1890 at Hillmorton Road, Rugby, the third and youngest son of William Parker Brooke (1850-1910), a master at Rugby School, and his wife, Mary Ruth Brooke (1848–1930), daughter of the Reverend Charles Cotterill of Stoke-on-Trent.
William was educated at Rugby School, where his father had become housemaster of School Field in Barby Road, and at Kings College, Cambridge where he took his degree in 1912. He appeared to have a promising career before him in politics as he was a singularly forceful and brilliant speaker and prior to the war had already made his mark while speaking on behalf of the Liberal Party. On leaving the University he took up a business appointment in London.
At the outbreak of WW1, William Brooke obtained a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the 8th (City of London) Battalion (“Post Office Rifles”) of the London Regiment.In March 1915 he went to France where he died on 14th June. He was buried in the Fosse 7 Military Cemetery (Quality Street), Mazingarbe a village in the Department of the Pas-de-Calais, 10 kilometres south-east of Bethune. His grave is maintained by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission. In addition to being named on the Memorial Gates at Whitehall Road, he is also remembered by an inscription on his parents’ grave in Clifton Road Cemetery, Rugby.
Memorial to Alfred Brooke in Clifton Road Cemetery *
He was the only surviving son of Mrs Brooke, his brother Rupert having died a few weeks earlier.
*It has been noticed that the memorial in Clifton Road Cemetery is incorrect. It should read P O Rifles not Artists Rifles. The original memorial beneath is correct.
RUGBY REMEMBERS HIM
