Walter Cook (footballer)

For the Australian Rules footballer, see Walter Cooke (footballer).

Walter Cook
Personal information
Full name Walter Charles Cook
Date of birth (1894-07-01)1 July 1894
Place of birth Midsomer Norton, England
Date of death 1973(1973-00-00) (aged 78–79)
Place of death Harrogate, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1918–1919 Leeds City
1919–1920 Castleford Town
1920–1924 Plymouth Argyle 7 (0)
1924–1926 Brighton & Hove Albion 52 (0)
1926 Darlington 0 (0)
1928–1929 Stockport County 9 (0)
1929–1930 Harrogate 24 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Charles Cook (1 July 1894 – 1973) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Brighton & Hove Albion and Stockport County.[2] He was on the books of Leeds City before the League resumed after the First World War, and played non-league football for Castleford Town and Harrogate.[3]

Life and career

Walter Charles Cook was born to Joseph and Ellen Cook in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, on 1 July 1894.[4][5] He had blue eyes and brown hair.[1] By 1901, the family had moved to Castleford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, where Joseph was working as a coal miner.[6] The 1911 Census records the 16-year-old Cook employed as a pony driver underground.[5] He enlisted in the Cameronians in 1915, served in France, and was discharged in 1917 as physically unfit for military service. His discharge papers described him as a "sober, honest and diligent soldier, discharged on account of a wound sustained in action."[1] He married Beatrice Haley in March 1918, and gave his occupation as miner.[7]

Cook played for Leeds City immediately after the First World War, but had left the club for Midland League club Castleford Town of the Midland League before the Football League resumed.[8] Together with Cecil Eastwood and Joe Little, Cook moved on to Plymouth Argyle in May 1920.[9] A backup to the long-serving Fred Craig, Cook eventually made his Football League debut in December 1921, but played just seven matches before joining another Third Division South club, Brighton & Hove Albion, in 1924 for a £400 fee.[10][11]

He was a first-team regular during his first season with Albion, but was displaced by Stan Webb in his second and left the club.[11] He joined Darlington on a month's trial later that year,[12] but did not make a first-team appearance.[13] He played nine matches in the Third Division North and two in the FA Cup for Stockport County during the first half of the 1928–29 season, before finishing his career in non-league football with Harrogate.[14][3][15]

The 1939 Register lists Cook living in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and working as a motorworks fitter's labourer.[16] He died in Harrogate in 1973.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c "UK, British Army World War I Pension Records 1914–1920: Walter Cook" – via Ancestry.com.
  2. ^ Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  3. ^ a b "Player search: Cook, WC (Walter)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  4. ^ Register of Baptisms in the Parish of Midsomer Norton in the County of Somerset. p. 139 – via Ancestry.com.
  5. ^ a b "1911 England Census for Walter Cook". Yorkshire-West Riding: Allerton Bywater: ED 04: RG14/28338 – via Ancestry.com.
  6. ^ "1901 England Census for Walter Cooke". Yorkshire: Castleford: ED 25: RG13/4305 93 – via Ancestry.com.
  7. ^ "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813–1935 for Walter Charles Cook". Castleford All Saints 1918 – via Ancestry.com.
  8. ^ "Movements of players". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 16 August 1919. pp. 9–10. Arthur Robins, the old Sheffield United winger, is again player-manager of the Castleford Town, which club is getting together a good team for the Midland League games. Those already signed on include Cook (Leeds City), goalkeeper; T. Duffield (Gainsboro'), right full-back; ...
  9. ^ "Plymouth Argyle capture three players". Sheffield Independent. 6 May 1920. p. 6. At a meeting of the supporters of the Castleford Town F.C., yesterday, the chairman of directors announced that Cook (goalkeeper), Eastwood (centre-half), and Little (outside left) had signed for Plymouth Argyle, but would be available to play against Bradford Saturday.
  10. ^ "Walter Cook". Greens on Screen. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
  12. ^ "Shots at goal". Lincolnshire Echo. 13 November 1926. p. 3. Darlington have engaged for a month's trial a goalkeeper named Walter Cook, formerly Brighton and Plymouth.
  13. ^ Tweddle, Frank (2000). The Definitive Darlington F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-899468-15-7.
  14. ^ "Walter Cook". Go Go Go County. I. Watts. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  15. ^ Phil Harrison: The Official History of Harrogate Town Football Club. Phil/Car Publishing, Ripon 2010, ISBN 978-0-9549065-1-1. p. 45, 408f
  16. ^ "1939 England and Wales Register for Walter C Cook". Yorkshire (West Riding): Harrogate MB: KNAX 489/2 – via Ancestry.com.