Wilfrid Cook was born on 1st April 1895 and baptised a few years later at St. Mary's, Westwood by Rev. A. Reid.  Wilfrid was the son of Harry Cook, an iron worker from Codnor Park and Alice Cook, nee Smedley. His parents, Harry and Alice had five children in all of whom only three survived, Wilfrid and his two brothers, Harry and Ernest.  In 1911 the family were living at New Westwood, with Wilfrid's widowed grandfather Edward Smedley. Wilfrid then aged sixteen was employed as a sanitary pipe-works clerk.

We know little of Wilfrid's service career but his daughter has provided some photographs of Wilfrid in uniform and advised us that he did serve in the trenches in France and later in 1919 he was serving in Bonn, Germany in the army of occupation.

Wilfrid served for five years but due to the sound of the guns came back to Jacksdale with Neurasthenia.  He had a short temper and could not sit in strong daylight for very long.

Despite this depressing illness he went on to marry his childhood sweetheart Mary Alice Grainger (sister of Lt. Albert Pearson Grainger also recorded on the Jacksdale War Memorial as having served.) In 1925 Wilfrid and Mary bought the Grainger family home 'The Limes', Selston Road, Jacksdale. Wilfrid's daughter who was born in 1931 passed her childhood here and can still remember how the miners sang as they passed by the house.

In later years Wilfrid became quite deaf due to the noise of the battlefield. He died in the Midlands aged only sixty nine years. His wife Mary survived until her late eighties.