Regimental Number: 100680
Rank: Private
Branch: 66th Battalion
Clifford Stanley Hook was born in Somerset, England in 1884. Jessica Beatrice Williams was born in Weston-Super-Mare in 1887. Clifford and Jessica were married sometime before 1909. The Hooks and their young daughter immigrated to Canada in 1913. They stayed a while with Jessica’s brother in Regina before moving to Edmonton to find work. While in Edmonton, Clifford, a jeweler and watchmaker, was employed by G. F. Watcher for five years, as the expert in the repair department of Watcher’s jewelry business. A son, Herbert E. Hook (Ted) was born in 1914. Although Clifford tried to enlist during World War I, he was refused for medical reasons (“not likely to become an efficient soldier”). The Hook family moved to Grande Prairie when Clifford purchased the R. H. Watcher business in March 1918. When he formed a partnership with Mr. J. Leonard shortly thereafter, the business became known as Hook & Leonard. Realizing that the Peace country was in need of professional eye care, Clifford left Grande Prairie briefly and went to Ontario to attend the College of Optometry. His family remained in Grande Prairie during the period. Clifford graduated April 20, 1920 and returned to Grande Prairie, becoming the first Optometrist in the region. Upon his return he continued in the jewelry business and added an Optometry section.
In 1920, the Grande Prairie store burned down. Leonard decided to try farming north of Sexsmith while Clifford continued practicing optometry and opened a new store. In May 1926, C. S. Hook closed his Grande Prairie jewelry and watch repair shop and moved the business to Waterhole. At various times, Clifford also operated jewelry stores in other towns including Sexsmith and Wembley. He owned a homestead located at 8-74-8-W6. A second son, Robert Clifford Hook, was born on June 12, 1918 in Grande Prairie. A third son, Jack Edgar Hook, was born on November 5, 1926. After spending 15 years in Grande Prairie, Jessica Hook moved to Vancouver for medical reasons, taking her three sons with her. Clifford and Evelyn remained in Grande Prairie. Jessica died August 16, 1940 in Edmonton at the age of 53 and is buried in the Edmonton Cemetery. She had moved to Edmonton a year before her death. C. S. Hook died in Grande Prairie on December 16, 1966 at the age of 87 after falling and breaking his hip.
Sources: GP Cemetery; see newspaper database for more clippings