Alfred William Gook

A Private with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Alfred died on 12th of November 1943 at the age of 31. 

Alfred was born at Lowestoft on 29 December 1912, a son of Alfred William and Harriet Elizabeth Gook. Alfred's father died in 1936 and his mother remarried and in 1939 lived at 14 Poplar Road, Carlton Colville. 

Alfred married Vera Lucille Bennett at Saint John's Church, Lowestoft, on 2 August 1937. Alfred was a shop assistant living at 22 Saint Leonard's Road, Norwich, and Vera lived at 79 London Road South, Lowestoft. In 1939 they were living at 5 Eversley Road, Norwich, and Alfred worked as shop assistant at a grocers.

Alfred joined in the Army. Initially he served with the Royal Norfolk Regiment and was transferred to serve with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Alfred was admitted to the Derby City Hospital on 1 November 1943. His illness was the result of a head injury (See Derby Evening Telegraph 13 November 1943 page 5). However, the inquest into his death heard that the injury occurred eighteen months earlier when he was lying on a table demonstrating a physical training exercise and the table tipped up and Alfred slid backwards onto the floor. Vera gave evidence that since that time he had suffered from headaches. The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure (See Derby Daily Telegraph 4 December 1943 page 4). 

Subsequently Vera returned to Lowestoft and in her latter years lived at 9 Plaisir Place, Thurston Road, Lowestoft. 

Alfred's sister Doria married Robert Gardner who was killed at Singapore in 1942.