Colour Sergeant Cook, The Civil Service Rifles.

Edward VII Territorial Force Efficiency Medal.
389 C. Sjt. W. Cook, 15th London Regiment (Civil Service Rifles).

The Territorial Force came into being on 1st April 1908, following the reforms of the Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane. The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 combined the old volunteer, militia and yeomanry units into new formations. The 12th Middlesex Civil Service Rifle Volunteers, discarding their old grey uniforms in favour of khaki, became the newly-formed 15th (County of London) Battalion, the London Regiment. Men who had been serving in the former were required to attest for the new formation throughout April 1908. Colour Sergeant Cook's service number would indicate that he was the 389th man to attest. In the Regimental Orders for July 1908, he is listed as the highest ranking NCO in No. 6 Company. He is included in the Battalion's list of marksmen in 1908, with a score of 148 points, an achievement surpassed by only 17 other men in the Battalion. He was also entitled to wear four "Efficiency Stars".

 The Regimental Orders for February 1909 list the 21 men awarded the Volunteer Long Service Medal and 31 men awarded the newly-instituted Territorial Force Efficiency Medal. Colour Sergeant Cook was one of the latter. This medal was granted to all men who completed 12 years' service with a minimum of twelve trainings, past service in the Volunteers being admissible, provided that the whole period of service was continuous. At 5.45pm on 10th May 1909, the Battalion paraded at Somerset House for the presentation of these medals by Major-General V. J. Dawson, C.V.O., Commanding 2nd London Division.

A Kew Gardener In The Queen's Westminsters.

British War Medal 1914 - 1920.
Victory Medal.
George VI  Special Constabulary Long Service Medal.
3526 A. Cpl. M. Vardy, 16th London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles).

Maurice Vardy was born in 1892 in  the parish of Norton in Ecclesall Bierlow, one of the six 'townships' making up the old Parish of Sheffield. He was the second of eight children born to John Vardy, a  gardener, and his wife, Ellen. The 1911 Census records the family as residing at Brompton Road, Northallerton, and Maurice is described as an 18 year old gardener, clearly following in his father's footsteps. The outbreak of the First World War found him as a student at Kew Gardens in London. Like many others at Kew, he enlisted in the ranks of the 16th London Regiment (Queen's Westminster Rifles) and saw overseas service with the 2/16th Battalion in France and Palestine. Returning to Kew after the war, he would stay there till 1920 until finding employment with the Colonial Service.

In March 1920, Maurice Vardy and his wife travelled to Grenada, where Maurice's father had a government post. Here he worked as the Assistant Superintendent of Agriculture. In 1921, Maurice was transferred to the Gold Coast, where he took up the post of Supervisor of Fruit & Vegetable Farms. Later he worked in Sierra Leone as the head of the Fruit Experimental Station at Newton, near Freetown. In 1932, his wife's ill health necessitated a return to the United Kingdom, where he set up a market garden which he ran until he retired at the age of 70. Maurice Vardy passed away at the age of 86, his death being registered at Darlington, Yorkshire in 1978.