Charles James Rooke was born on 22 April 1894 at 15 St Marks Road, Kennington, London, one of the ten children of James Rooke (1845-1899) and Emma Eliza Rooke née Thorn (1852-1929). His birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1894 in the Lambeth Registration District, London.
We have only been able to trace five of his siblings and these were: William Thomas Rooke (1887-1954); Bert John Rooke (1889-1918); Henry George Rooke (1890-1892); Elizabeth Rooke (1892-1961) and Jessie Caroline Eleanor Rooke (1896-1982).
On 7 April 1897 he, together with his two sisters: Elizabeth Rooke and Jessie Caroline Eleanor Rooke, were baptised at St John the Evangelist Church, Smith Square, Westminster, London, where in the baptismal register their family were shown to be living at 79 Tufton Street, Westminster and that their father was a provision dealer.
His father died in 1899 and in the 1901 census it shows him as Charles J. Rooke, aged 6 years living within four rooms at 35 Chalmers Street, Battersea, London, with his widowed mother and his four surviving siblings: William Thomas Rooke - a telegraph messenger; Bert John Rooke; Elizabeth Rooke and Jessie Caroline Eleanor Rooke, together with his widowed maternal uncle Frederick Thorn (1858-1908) - a bricklayer's labourer and his uncle's daughter Caroline Eleanor Thorn (1888-1979). His mother was shown as living on her own means.
In October 1910 Charles James Rooke was appointed as an assistant postman in the London Postal Service.
He was shown on the 1911 census return form that was completed by his mother as Charles Rooke, aged 16 years and a G.P.O. telegraph messenger, living in a six roomed property at 32 Robertson Street, Battersea. His mother claimed that she had given birth to ten children but that only five were still alive. Also shown on the census form were three siblings: William Thomas Rooke - a loco boiler tubers assistant employed by a railway company; Bert John Rooke - a dentist's dental mechanic and Jessie C. Rooke.
On 7 December 1912 he was transferred as an assistant postman to the Post Office's Clapham branch and in February 1914 he was appointed as a postman in the Western District Office.
His military records show that he served as a Pioneer in the Royal Engineers, Postal Section, service number 137024, as a Rifleman in the 8th (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), service number 48625 and finally as a Private in the 1st/5th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), service number S/43726. He was killed in action on 12 October 1918, aged 24 years, and is buried in Row A, Grave 4, in the Avesnes-Le-Sec Communal Cemetery Extension, 59296 Avesnes-le-Sec, France.
On 13 February 1919 his mother received his army effects totalling £21-7s-5d followed by a further £1-0s-0d on 23 April 1919, but for some unknown reason he was recorded as 'Not Admissible' for the usual war gratuity. He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is shown as 'ROOKE, C. J.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the A Street Near You website, on the London WW1 Memorial website, on the Royal British Legion's Every One Remembered website and on page 324 of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Remembrance 1914-1920.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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