Staff and students at Millthorpe School were privileged to be joined this morning by 100-year-old D-Day veteran, Ken Cooke, for a very special Remembrance Assembly.
More than 230 Year 10 students gathered for the assembly delivered by Adam Baybutt, Assistant Principal and Teacher of History at Millthorpe, during which they heard about the importance of remembrance and the significance of the poppy. Mr Baybutt also talked about a relative who served in World War I and sadly died just weeks before the war ended.
Year 10 students, Oscar and Esther, read “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae and “I am not a badge of honour” by Paul Hunter, after which Mr Cooke read a poignant poem, “The Veterans”, which was given to him by a fellow veteran at a previous visit to Normandy. This is such a powerful poem, he now reads it wherever he goes.
At 11am, Year 10 student, Joely sounded “The Last Post” which was followed by a two-minute silence.
After the assembly, Oscar, Esther and Joely had the opportunity to ask Mr Cooke a few questions, together with fellow student Erin, whose Great-Great-Grandfather, a minesweeper on D-Day, helped to clear the way to make it that little bit safer for the troops. Mr Cooke also reminded students of the request he made when he visited the school earlier this year, saying: “I want you to promise me now that you won’t let what happened to me, happen to you. Can you promise me that?”
Mr Cooke previously visited Millthorpe School in March 2025 after his granddaughter, Helen Mackley, who works at Millthorpe, mentioned that her grandad was in Normandy for the 80th anniversary commemorations last year. Upon learning that this was local veteran, Ken Cooke, Mr Baybutt was eager to invite Ken to speak to the students. His visit left a huge impression on all those who were lucky enough to meet him and hear his accounts of D-Day.
Mr Baybutt said “Today has to be one of the best, most moving days of my career so far. To be able to stand in respectful silence and remember the fallen, in the presence of a D-Day veteran, was remarkable. It is difficult to put into words just how fortunate and privileged we feel at being able to welcome Mr Cooke into our school once again.
“We would all like to thank Ken from the bottom of our hearts, not just for spending this important day with us, but for his service.”
Mr Cooke, who was called up aged 18, arrived in Southampton on June 4, 1944, and only then did he realise he was about to take part in something monumental. He landed at Gold Beach at 7.45am on June 6, 1944, and despite his young age and lack of training, he recalls a sense of excitement. He described the scene to be “like 1,000 fireworks’ nights all at once”.
He said “I don’t know why I did it, but I just rested on the side and watched it all happen.” It was only when he learned of the tragic deaths of some of his friends that the enormity and danger of the situation began to sink in. Mr Cooke later suffered a serious shrapnel wound and returned to Britain to recover. He later returned to action in Germany, where he was injured for a second time towards the end of the war.
After the war, Mr Cooke worked for more than 40 years at Rowntree in York.
The Design Technology team at Millthorpe have also worked hard with students from across the school to create a beautiful poppy display from old plastic bottles. The sea of poppies now graces the school’s main drive.
11 November 2025
