Cookham Army Cadets 1942.

Cookham Army Cadets 1942.

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With very many thanks to an old wartime Cookham resident Dan Coles I am able to bring you the photograph of the village Army Cadets. Between Dan and myself we have been able to name nearly all the members in the photo.

So if you have a father or grandfather or even a great grandfather who lived in Cookham during the war years who were either evacuated from London or whose family was already living here, you may get a surprise.

I have numbered all those in the photo for easy recognition, or for a grand child to say, ”Is that what granddad looked like as a little boy.

1. Lt. Green. 2. Peter "Nobby" Clark. 3. Dick Lewingdon.

4. Unknown. 5. Charlie "Waggle" Coles. 6. Charlie "Slogger" Smith.

7. Derek "Hole in the Road" Buckingham. 8. Sgt. Dan Coles.

9. Unknown. 10. Unknown. 11. Fred Holland. 12. Bernard Hills.

13. Face is familiar Unknown. 14. Unknown.15. Willie Harris.

16. Peter Kent.

Lt. Green use to run a shoe repair business very close to the Pinder Hall.

Peter “Nobby” Clark was the son of George “Dawdy” Clark who was a carter on White Place Farm.

Dick Lewingdon was the second of three sons of Jim Lewingdon who ran the Off License in Hamfield Cottages.

Charlie “Waggle” Coles, Dan Coles, brother, got his nickname from his quick footwork on the football field.

Charlie ”Slogger” Smith, got his nickname from his famed goalkeeping skill of kicking a football the whole length of the field. In later years he was known as “CAB” Smith.

Derek Buckingham, got his name when he played in a school play with the late Bill Fisher called “The Hole in the Road.” In which he played a Night Clubbing Gent, while Bill played the road works Night Watchman. The play was put on in aid of “Wings for Victory Week.”