Paul Martin Cook was born in 1916 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of William Martin Cook and Irene Cook who were living in Halifax when he died. He was the middle child between an older brother and a younger sister. His wife, Pauline Muriel Cook was living in Worcester Park, Surrey, England.
Paul enrolled in the 1st Field Company on 19 November 1939 in Halifax. Soldiers were given regimental numbers taken from a block allocated to each recruiting unit. The first number in the 1st Field Company’s block was F91400, with the ‘F’ relating to Military District Number 6, which at that time was Nova Scotia. Paul’s number was F91543, making him one of the original members of the company.
Paul had completed Grade 11 in 1934 and was working as a driver when he enlisted. Even though the 1st Field Company was a Permanent Force unit when they mobilized on 1 September 1939, most of their experienced men were assigned to other units to provide very lean instructional cadres to units who were mobilizing from very small groups of Non-Permanent Militia units. Consequently, there was no noticeable difference between the 1st Field Company and any other field company being stood up. The first few months were very much shakedown months as the unit organized, trained and equipped itself as far as limited accommodation and stores would permit. Even though Paul arrived at the unit in its third month, clothing was in especially short supply, training was rudimentary at best, focussing on foot drill, knots and lashings, physical training and some work on the rifle range. As well, accommodation was scarce and local soldiers often lived at home.
Paul and the company set sail from Halifax and arrived in Scotland on 7 February, disembarking in Glasgow the following day. After an overnight rail trip, they settled in Talavera Barracks in Aldershot where the 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers would eventually be accommodated. Eventually, the 1st, 3rd and 4th Field Companies, the 2nd Field Park Company and the Divisional Engineer HQ would all land in Sicily as part of Operation HUSKY.
Paul’s unit was faced with two major challenges in England. First, the unit was essentially comprised of undertrained recruits; and second, they were under-equipped. Nonetheless, the Army got on with its job and the company quickly was well on its way to becoming an effective fighting unit. In fact, in March 1940, using borrowed equipment and relying heavily on British instructors, the unit met all the standards in bridging. In April and May, they started to master the field engineer skills they would be needing – demolitions, demolitions, field defences, anti-gas defences, map reading, field machines (derricks and holdfasts) and anti-aircraft drills. Weapons training included the Lee-Enfield rifle, the Lewis gun, the Boys antitank rifle and anti-aircraft drills.
May was an interesting, but mysterious month. The month began with 10 days of field defence training with other units of the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade (the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), the 48th Highlanders and the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment). However, on 15 May, all troops were confined to barracks, buses were standing by and all company transport was loaded with equipment. In the next week, a large exercise took place and on 23 May, all troops had returned to Talavera Barracks but all the company’s transport drove to Southampton to be loaded on ships. The following morning at 0515, the company entrained and left for places unknown. It was thought that Boulogne was the destination, but the next day, the ships were unloaded and troops returned to their barracks. They stood by until 30 May when the company’s sections (they were later re-named platoons), were allocated out to their affiliated infantry units - 1 Section to the RCR, 2 Section to the 48th Highlanders and 3 Section to the Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment. These connections lasted throughout the war. Enjoying the much-welcomed warmer weather, a fine week of training was spent in the field.
In June 1940, the 1st Canadian Division moved from England to Brittany in France as part of the effort to re-establish a second British Expeditionary Force (2 BEF) in Europe following the Dunkirk Evacuation in May. The main body of the 1st Field Company, including Sapper Cook, landed in Brest on 14 June with most of their vehicles having arrived a few days earlier with the advance party on 8 June. The company quickly moved out of Brittany inland to assemble in the area of Laval-La Mans. 2nd Field Park Company landed without their equipment and stayed in Brest with Division Engineer HQ.
Things moved faster than the planners had anticipated. The French Army was near collapse and unable to support the new Allied force. Without support and with the capitulation of France only days away, the newly landed troops were withdrawn little more than a week after the initial units had landed. The 1st Field Company left most of their equipment, destroying as much as possible. Paul, with most of the rest of the company, re-embarked on 17 June and landed back in England the following day.
After shaking out from the Brest excursion, the company took up where it left off focusing n developing sapper skills at the individual and company level. Qualified driver (Wheeled) 1 July 1942. Later that year in October, he was injured during rifle training when he tripped over a rifle resting on a small pack with its bayonet fixed. The blade went through his calf but luckily did not cause any permanent damage. Paul was granted permission to marry on 8 October 1941 and on 14 December, Pauline Muriel Hurst became his wife.
Beginning in December 1942, the company started to focus on preparing for an assault landing somewhere in Europe and much of the training was based at the Combined Arms Training Centre in Scotland. Paul took a vehicle waterproofing course there that month. Over the next six months, the sappers practiced assault landings, beach clearance, mountain warfare, enemy mines and a myriad of other subjects needed to support a rapid advance. In June, the 1st Division’s Engineer HQ and units were taking part in what would be their final amphibious exercises when they learned they would soon go into action. Field Companies worked closely with their affiliated brigades, with the 1st Field Company supporting the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade.
While the Division Engineer HQ worked out the loading tables for men, equipment, supplies, and reinforcements that would be needed to support an assault, troops began exchanging their woollen battledress for tropical clothing and trained to waterproof their vehicles. Every soldier was on edge with tensions rising and rumours spreading about where and when they would see action. Would it be Greece? Crete? Sicily? As training wrapped up, they changed into their tropical clothing and loaded on ships. Paul would have been among the soldiers given a 48-hour leave in groups of 50 at a time starting on 5 June 1943.
The final embarkation took place on 11 and 12 June when the two assault brigades of the 1st Canadian Division took part in an assault landing Exercise STYMIE II in Scotland as a final practice of what they would face in the upcoming assault. Once the landing was complete by LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank), the remainder of the exercise was cancelled due to poor weather conditions and damaged landing craft. All personnel were re-embarked on the ships and the convoy remained near the Ayrshire coast waiting for decent weather to re-attempt the exercise. Troops made frequent trips back to shore by use of LSTs. Once ashore, they conducted physical training and route marches to maintain readiness. When weather permitted, troops were allowed to end their training days with a swim or sunbathing.
The total strength of Canadian units that would embark on Operation HUSKY was over 26,000 officers and men with tanks, guns, and enough supplies to sustain three weeks of fighting. The main invasion force would sail in two convoys with the combat units divided between the "Fast Assault Convoy" carrying the landing force and the "Slow Assault Convoy" carrying the follow-on troops. The Slow Assault Convoy sailed first in two groups on 19 and 24 June 1943 carrying troops, equipment and supplies not needed for the initial assault. Taking different sea routes for reasons and security and safety, the two slow convoys would meet near Algiers and later meet the Fast Assault Convoy off Malta on D minus 1. The ‘Fast Assault Convoy’ sailed down the River Clyde on 28 June 1943 and started its long journey to the Mediterranean. Paul travelled in the Fast Assault Convoy and landed in the assault wave along with the 3rd Field Company, as planned on 10 July at Pachino.
Luckily, the beaches weren’t very well defended and were easily captured by Allied forces. The RCR captured the crew of an Italian battery and the 1st Field Company destroyed the guns according to plan and then went to work on some small minefields in the area. An excerpt from the war diary on the night of 10 July describes the scene, “The unit was treated to one of the most amazing demonstrations of Ack Ack fire as evening drew on and attempts were made to bomb vessels on the beach.” This went on for another day and the company took on tasks aimed at repairing the nearby airfield.
By 12 July, all three Field Companies were advancing into the hills with their affiliated brigades. It was the 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade that first met with German troops at Grammichele on 15 July. Although the battle was fierce, the Sappers were fortunate to not take any casualties, spent "a hectic evening slugging dirt into a huge road crater".
The rest of the advance was slow due to German obstacles, mines and booby traps. The 2nd Brigade took the lead on 15 July, and the 3rd Brigade took the lead from them on 17 July Meanwhile, Paul and his fellow sappers would likely have been following behind the leading troops improving the way ahead. The 1st Brigade moved on Assoro, while the 3rd Brigade moved on Leonforte. These objectives were taken and the next objectives, Agira, Regalbuto, and Catenanuova, were assigned. Resistance from reinforced German troops became increasingly stiffer as they found the noose tightening.
The 1st Field Company supported the 1st Brigade who had been assigned the task of clearing the way for Agira. To the west was the town of Nissoria with high ridges overlooking the route to Agira. The fighting around Nissoria on 24 and 25 July was intense. The town fell easily enough, though the battle for the commanding hills was a difficult one. Most of the work fell to the infantry while the company was busy clearing routes slightly behind the action. While the 2nd Brigade moved forward to Agira, the 1st Brigade went into reserve to recuperate for their next battle, the town of Regalbuto.
Resistance from reinforced German troops became increasingly stiffer as they found the noose tightening. On 26 July, the 2nd Brigade took over the attack on Agira, which gave the men of the 1st Field Company a chance to recover and improve roads leading to the front. They were under near constant observation and fire from the defending Germans during the advance and on 31 July, Paul was struck in the head by shrapnel during a period of shelling. He was taken to 4 Field Ambulance and then on to 45 General Hospital in Malta on 1 August where died from his wounds the following day. He is buried in Pembroke Military Cemetery, Malta. He was 27 years old.