Pte 22102 Edward Hancock

• Age: 27
• From: Neston, Cheshire
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• Died Monday 29th January 1917
• Commemorated at: St Marie Cem Le Havre
  Panel Ref: Div 3.16

Edward enlisted in the 20th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 22102 on 05/11/1914 aged 24 years and 180 days, giving his occupation as a Labourer. He is described as being 5'8 inches tall and weighed 136lbs is of fresh complexion with grey eyes and brown hair.

Formed in November 1914 the 20^th Battalion were originally billeted at Tournament Hall, Knotty Ash before on 29^th January 1915 they moved to the hutted accommodation purposely built at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 20th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

His service papers give some important details as to his sad death. He is shown as having been home on leave in December 1916 returning to France on 31/12/1916. It appears that Edward was admitted to a Field Ambulance on 02/01/1917. He was admitted to Hospital on 05/01/1917 having been initially diagnosed with Pleurisy. This diagnosis was quickly altered when upon his admission he was diagnosed with Bronchial and acute Nephritis. He records also show that his condition changed from seriously ill to dangerously ill on 13/01/1917. 

Efforts were made by both his sister, Mrs Hayes and his brother Thomas Hancock, to obtain travel warrants to visit a now stricken Edward. Sadly his sister advised the authorities on 17/01/1917 that she was too ill herself to visit Edward.

His illness was reported in the Birkenhead News on 27th January 1917:

“We regret to learn that three of our soldier lads are in hospital, viz., Private Edward Hancock of Little Neston, who is suffering from pneumonia and reported to be in a serious condition;”  

Edward died on 29/01/1917 aged 27, the hospital records show that he died of "T.B. LUNG" and that he died on a hospital train bound for a specialist T.B. ward.

He now rests at Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Harve.

During the First World War, Le Havre was one of the ports at which the British Expeditionary Force disembarked in August 1914. Except for a short interval during the German advance in 1914, it remained No.1 Base throughout the war and by the end of May 1917, it contained three general and two stationary hospitals, and four convalescent depots.

The first Commonwealth burials took place in Division 14 of Ste Marie Cemetery in mid August 1914. Burials in Divisions 19, 3, 62 and 64 followed successively.

A memorial in Plot 62 marks the graves of 24 casualties from the hospital ship 'Salta' and her patrol boat, sunk by a mine on 10 April 1917. The memorial also commemorates by name the soldiers, nurses and merchant seamen lost from the 'Salta' whose bodies were not recovered, and those lost in the sinking of the hospital ship 'Galeka' (mined on 28 October 1916) and the transport ship 'Normandy' (torpedoed on 25 January 1918), whose graves are not known.

There are now 1,690 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in this cemetery, 8 of which are unidentified.

During the Second World War, Le Havre was one of the evacuation ports for the British Expeditionary force in 1940 and towards the end of the war it was used as a supply and reinforcement base.

There are now 364 burials of the Second World War here,(59 of them unidentified) in Divisions 64 and 67 of the cemetery.

The Commonwealth plots in the cemetery were designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

Edward's medals and effects were sent to his brother Thomas and his married sisters Louisa Hayes and Susan Bradbury.