IN Memories 273, we appealed for information about a picture of a First World War reunion. There wasn’t much information to go at – it was held in Durham in the 1960s – but, as usual, Memories readers came up trumps.

Marjorie Cook of Bishop Auckland even sent in a photocopy of the article in the Durham County Advertiser in which the photograph was included. On the photograph is her father, Arthur Cook, who won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty”.

So, from the article, we know that this is a reunion of the 2/2 Northumbrian Field Ambulance Army Corps which was held on April 20, 1966 (by coincidence, almost 50 years ago to the day) in the Bridge Hotel, Durham. The hotel is the one beneath the viaduct and its distinctive first floor window, which is behind the veterans, can still be seen today.

The reunion was held to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the unit landing at Le Havre, in 1915, at the start of its war which was mainly spent tending to casualties from the Western Front.

Arthur Cook, is on the centre of the back row, resplendent in his medals. He was a Cockfield lad, who helped run the village football team, and went to war in the medical corps. He won his DCM for volunteering for a stretcher party which went out to collect an injured man under heavy shellfire.

“With absolute disregard for his own safety, he protected the injured man with his body, and although wounded, helped carried him to safety,” says the citation.

It is believed that Arthur threw himself over the injured man, sustaining shrapnel wounds himself.

“I’m very proud of him,” said Marjorie. So were the villagers of Cockfield, for they presented him with a gold watch and chain to mark his award.

Arthur, who died in 1969, was one of the older veterans, having been born in 1887. One of the younger chaps on the picture was Johnathon Hall, on the extreme left of the second row, who was recognised by his niece, Dorothy Greenwood.

“He was born in Page Bank in 1896, and he joined up after his older brother, George,” says Dorothy. “He was not old enough to enlist, but somehow managed it and went to look after George.”

In peacetime, he married Violet, had four children – Roland, Kathlyn, Leonard and Kenneth – and lived in Esh Winning, where he died in 1991.