Distinguished Flying Cross : Flight Lieutenant H G Cooke, 461 and 10 Squadrons, RAAF

Distinguished Flying Cross. Engraved reverse lower arm of cross with year of award.

403860 Wing Commander Henry George Cooke RAAF, was born in Sydney in 1914. He enlisted in the RAAF in March 1941 and qaulified as a Sunderland pilot in 1942. Cooke saw two tours of duty with 10 Squadron RAAF, the second, from October 1944, as commanding officer of the squadron. In between these tours he served with 461 Squadron RAAF. Based in south-west Britain, both squadrons were an integral part of Coastal Command, flying around the clock anti- U-boat patrols and escorting convoys. Cooke was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 25 May 1943 for 'coolness and skill' between 1942 and 1943. He was Mentioned in Dispatches on 14 June 1945. The citation for the DFC reads 'Flight Lieutenant Cooke as captain of aircraft has completed many successful sorties. In September, 1942, he delivered an effective attack on an enemy submarine. This officer also attacked enemy shipping in the face of heavy opposition. On one occasion he assisted in the rescue of six (6) members of an aircraft crew from a dinghy. At all times this officer has set an excellent example to his crew, displaying coolness and skill in the face of danger'. The submarine attack is mentioned in Herington, J., 1962, Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, pages 293-94 which forced the U-boat back to port for lengthy repairs. The shipping attack on the motor vessel Belgrano (6,095 tons) occured on 11 October 1942 and is mentioned on page 418.