Career
Cooke served with the Royal Artillery during the First World War, transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915. He was appointed Officer Commanding Number. 188 Squadron in April 1918 on the formation of the Royal Air Force.
He went on to be Officer Commanding Number.
20 Squadron in 1924, a wing commander at the Number. 1 School of Technical Training in 1935 and Officer Commanding, Number.
6 School of Technical Training in 1939. He served in the Second World War as Chief Maintenance Officer at Headquarters Royal Air Force Middle East from February 1941, as Air Officer Commanding Number.
206 (Maintenance) Group from June 1941 and as Air Officer Commanding Number.
4 School of Technical Training from December 1942 before becoming Director of Technical Training at the Air Ministry in June 1944 and Director of Maintenance and Supply at Rear Headquarters Mediterranean Allied Air Forces in December 1944. He finished the war as Air Officer Commanding Number. 43 Group. After the war he was appointed Director-General of Servicing and Maintenance at the Air Ministry and then Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Royal Air Force Maintenance Command before retiring in 1949.
