Ernest Stenson-Cooke

Ernest Stenson-Cooke (5 October 1874 – 19 November 1942) was a British fencer. He competed in the individual foil and épée events at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was the first secretary of The Automobile Association, beginning in 1905 when it was established and serving in that capacity for 37 years. By the start of the first world war, membership of the AA had risen from 90 (when he had been taken on) to 83,000 He wrote the autobiographical "This Motoring - Being the Romantic Story of the Automobile Association", ISBN 978-1125868041, which was published in 1931. He was knighted in 1933 for services to motoring. From an early age Stenson-Cooke had been interested in military training and for some years was a member of the cadet corps attached to the London Rifle Brigade, from which he retired (with the rank of Captain) in 1903. During World War I he served with 8th Essex Territorials, then as a staff captain at the War Office, and was later appointed Controller of Supplies under the Ministry of National Service.