ROOKES, CHARLES CECIL (1819-1909) was born at Exeter, Devon, educated at Bath, and in France, and was for two years a midshipman in the Royal Navy on the China and West India stations. After a period at the French military riding school at St Omer (1839-41), he joined the 2nd West India Regiment. (Ensign, 1842; lieutenant, 1842; captain, 1846.) He saw much service commanding the government armed steamer Wilberforce in anti-slavery operations in Sierra Leone and Gambia (1843-44), and in 1846 became private secretary and aide-de-camp to the governor of Bahama and Trinidad. Selling out of the army (1858), he came to New Zealand and settled at Howick. On the outbreak of war he was given employment in the Defence department (1860) and he afterwards commanded the Wanganui district and raised a cavalry troop which did good service. Rookes received the thanks of the Governor for his enterprise and leadership at the reduction of Weraroa (Jul 1865), but was shortly afterwards superseded. He married (1855) a sister of General Cafe, and died on 4 May 1909.

App. H.R., 1861, A1, p. 13, 6; A2 p. 15; Cycl. N.Z., ii; Gorton; Gudgeon; Wanganui Chronicle, 7 Oct 1865.

Reference: Volume 2, page 129

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