Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Joseph Hancock, an insurance agent, born 1860 in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire and his wife Mary Ann Hancock (nee Kirk, married in the 2nd quarter of 1889 in the Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire district), born 17th September 1863 in Measham, Leicestershire. John was born in the 4th quarter of 1891 in Measham, his siblings were, Lilian Mary, born 1890 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, Joseph, born 1894 and Hilda, born 1897, the latter two siblings were both born in Measham, in March 1901 the family home was at 10, Brook Side, Ashby de la Zouch. In April 1911 John was employed as a coal miner, hewer and was residing in the family home at Swannington Road, Ravenstone, Leicestershire, together with his father, a house property agent, his mother and siblings, Joseph, a brickyard labourer, Hilda, a schoolgirl, Frederick, a schoolboy, born 23rd July 1902 and Reginald, born 1906 the latter two siblings were both born in Leicestershire. In the 1st quarter of 1915 in the Blaby, Leicestershire district, John married Mary Elizabeth Weston, Mary was born in 1890 in Wigston, Leicestershire. In 1939 John’s mother resided at 49, Church Lane, Coalville, Leicestershire.
John first entered the theatre of war in France on the 13th August 1914. He died in the 4th CCS on the 24th September 1917. John was awarded the 1914 Star, British War and Victory medals.
The War Diary records: 24 Sep-17 – IN THE FIELD. CAMBRIDGE CAMP. (Fatigues) (Captain W. E. C. BAYNES, MC wounded – Other Ranks, 11 killed, 11 wounded of which 3 remained at duty). (Lieutenant G. C. FIRBANK, wounded – remained at duty).

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday October 9th, 1914

COALVILLE SOLDIERS WOUNDED

FOUGHT AND FELL SIDE BY SIDE

Lying side by side in the hospital at Leicester are Pte. F. Wilson and Pte. Hancock, both of the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, who were fighting together in France when they were wounded and were brought to the hospital together last week. Pte. Wilson’s home is in Hotel Street, Coalville, and Pte. Hancock resides at Ravenstone. Both are married men.

Wilson received a bullet wound in the foot and Hancock was struck on the shoulder with a piece of shell. We were pleased to learn on enquiry yesterday that both men were doing well.

Coalville Times article - Friday October 30th, 1914

RAVENSTONE SOLDIER IN FOUR BATTLES

HOW 500 GERMANS PAID FOR THEIR TREACHERY

THRILLING EXPERIENCES

How 500 German soldiers paid dearly for an act of treachery was one of the incidents in a thrilling story told to our reporter by Pte. John Hancock, of the 1st Coldstream Guards, who went unscathed through three battles in France and fell in the fourth wounded in the shoulder from a piece of shell, in consequence of which he was removed to hospital and has since been invalided home.

Pte. Hancock is a son of Joseph Hancock, a fitter employed at Messers. Stableford and Co’s wagon works at Coalville, himself an old soldier, and residing at Swannington Road, Ravenstone.

Young Hancock was three years in the Guards, leaving the regiment of July 2nd last and he had joined the Derby Borough Police Force, having only had a month’s experience as a constable when he was recalled to the colours.

Recounting his experiences, he said he went to France with the first British Expeditionary Force, travelling from Aldershot to Havre, and then up country by train. The first battle in which he was engaged was at Mons, the actual fighting in which lasted 36 hours, though four days were occupied in the retreat. Mons was a coal-mining district and it was in the neighbourhood of collieries that the battle commenced on a Sunday. The British were entrenched and during the 36 hours that they held the Germans at bay, he said that the losses of the enemy were tremendous. They could see them dropping all over the place as they made their charges. The Germans got to within 200 yards and brilliant charges were made by the 9th Lancers and the Scots Greys. The Germans made their charges in solid formation, T shape, but their rifle fire was very inaccurate. They carried their rifles level with their hips and fired as they ran. The British losses were heaviest during the retreat. On September 6th in five or six hours, the Coldstreams had fifty men killed.

Hancock paid a high tribute to the valour of the British officers who, he said, were always prominent in the fray and many fell. He went on to describe how the Germans were driven over the Marne and the subsequent fighting on the Aisne. A thrilling experience was when Hancock with 50 of his regiment under Lieut-Col. Ponsonby got cut off and had to creep back along a ditch nearly full of water, all the time under a heavy fire from the enemy. “The shells were dropping all round,” said the soldier, “and splashing us with the mud.” It was during this incident that the officer just named was wounded.

For periods as long as five successive days and nights, Hancock and his comrades were in the trenches and during the nine weeks he was at the front he never had his clothes off. He was wounded in the right shoulder by a piece of shell on September 19th and for eight hours lay unconscious in the trench. He was picked up and bandaged by another of the guards named Broadhurst, who by a peculiar coincidence comes from the same village, and these two, with Pte. Wilson of Coalville, were fighting side by side. Although it was unknown to each other, Hancock and Wilson were both wounded about the same time and were brought to England on the same ship, meeting at Southampton and the two warriors who had fought side by side in the trenches in France subsequently occupied beds side by side in the 5th Northern Hospital at Leicester. Broadhurst is still at the front.

Further questioned as to his experiences during the fighting Hancock had some exciting incidents to relate.

On one occasion, he said, the Northamptons were sent out to bring in about 500 German soldiers who had lain down their arms and intimated that they desired to surrender. When the Germans saw the party coming to take them prisoners numbered only some 200, they quickly took up their guns again and started firing. The Northamptons charged and the retreat of the Germans was cut off by the British machine-guns by which practically the whole of the five hundred were wiped out. The groaning of the wounded, said Hancock, was pitiable. One man of the Black Watch had both his legs shot off during the battle of the Aisne and implored his comrades to shoot him out of his misery. The poor fellow died shortly afterwards. When a number of soldiers were taking cover in a factory a German shell demolished a tall chimney which fell across the building killing five or six men. Hancock was one of those who escaped. He saw P.C. Henson (a Coalville policeman) several times in the fighting before he was killed and he also saw P.C. Durrands (another Coalville policeman) lying wounded between two trenches. Durrands is now a prisoner in Germany. Wilson received his wounds while crawling to a place, under a heavy fire to fill some water bottles for his comrades and himself. Hancock says he was in the trenches for five days at a stretch and it was raining nearly the whole time. Shells that dropped around cut the ground up throwing the dirt over them and in many places lay heaps of bodies of Germans. To anyone who had not seen it, he said, war was indescribable.

Hancock’s statement that a good number of the Germans had a smattering of English and that he got into conversation with prisoners several times, led the writer to ask whether the Germans still thought that ours was “a contemptible little army.”

His reply was that they have evidently altered their opinion now. But the Germans still retained the idea that they must win. They were frequently reiterating this and the British Tommies only laughed at them. But many of the Germans after being taken prisoner said they did not want to fight and remarked, “The British shoot goot.” The Germans, continued Hancock, could not stand the British charges, but generally fled.

But for the big guns they could not have held out as they did on the Aisne. A pitiable sight was to see the rows of English soldiers’ graves, on which lay little crosses, made by their comrades out of the ammunition cases. But if the Germans were confident of winning, so were the English, he said. Every man was doing his bit and a splendid spirit prevailed among the troops.

Hancock’s father, who was present at the interview, then related some of his experiences. He is a typical old soldier, who had fourteen years with the colours, eleven of which were spent in India. He went through the Afghan War under Lord Roberts and he went on to recall some of the thrilling incidents of that memorable campaign.

Hancock, junior, by-the-way, has been discharged from the hospital and is now at home regaining strength. He expects to return to the front, though this may be some weeks yet as at present he has lost the use of his shoulder, from which, while in the hospital, a piece of shell was extracted with the aid of X-rays.

Coalville Times article - Friday October 20th, 1916

The parents of Corporal J. Hancock, of Ravenstone, of the 1st Coldstream Guards, have received information that their son, John, has been wounded again in the great charge on the 15th September last, having been shot through both thighs. This is the second time he has been wounded. He has been in the war since the commencement. Mr Hancock has another son serving on the Essex coast, who was gassed at the Battle of Loos, October, 1915. Mr Hancock himself, served 14 years in the R.F.A., over 11 years in India, and one year during the Boer War.

Coalville Times article - Friday October 19th, 1917

Local Casualties

News has been received that Sergeant J. Hancock, of the Coldstream Guards, whose home is at Swannington Road, Ravenstone, died of wounds received in action on September 24th. Writing to his wife, an officer says, "It is with the deepest sorrow that I have to write and tell you that your husband died of wounds yesterday (24th ult) He was wounded in the morning by a shell and taken to hospital, where he died in the evening, after an operation. We had not been very long together in the battalion but quite long enough for me to find out what a splendid man and soldier he was. I am a very young soldier myself and Sergeant Hancock was with me the first time I went into the trenches. You can imagine what a great help it is to a young officer to have a man like that with him, and I cannot feel too grateful to him. The men who came out here at the beginning of the war and have returned again and again after being wounded cannot be admired too much; and for them all the time to keep so keen and calm is wonderful. I cannot say how sorry I am to lose him and how much I sympathise with you. May God give you comfort. Sergeant Hancock was buried in the cemetery of the hospital. May I say again how deeply I sympathise with you, and I am proud to have had your husband with me."

The deceased soldier was one of the first to leave his native village on the outbreak of war, and was in the battle of Mons, being wounded. After his recovery, he again went to France, and during the next year and eight months took part in many hard battles. He was made King's Corporal on the field for gallant conduct, and for the second time was wounded, being shot through both thighs and having four wounds on his body. Soon after returning once more to the Front he was made sergeant. Two days after he made the supreme sacrifice (September 26th), his brother Joseph, was wounded, and is now in hospital in France.

Coalville Times article - Friday October 29th, 1920

RAVENSTONE WAR MEMORIAL

UNVEILED BY MAJOR HATCHETT, J.P.

IMPRESSIVE SERVICE

Few villages, perhaps in proportion to population, suffered more heavily in the war than Ravenstone, where on Sunday afternoon the unveiling took place of a memorial to 28 men of the parish who made the supreme sacrifice. The memorial consists of a cross of Weldon stone, 12ft high, with steps at the base and three panels in Swithland slate bearing the names of the men, and on the front panel appears the inscription

“In glorious memory of the unreturning brave 1914 – 1918”

The names of the fallen are as follows:

L.-Corporal J. C. Andrews, Pte. H. Walker, Corporal P. L. Smith, Pte. G. T. Andrews, Pte. J. Martin, Pte. W. Brooks, Corporal C. Fairbrother, Pte. J. Nicholls, Gunner A. Prew, Pte. S. Poole, Seaman W. Potter, Corporal J. Sinfield, Pte. C. T. Colver, Corporal J. Curtis, Pte. H. Congrave, Corporal J. Collier, L.-Corporal F. Marlow, Pte. J. Watson, Pte. R. Bodle, Pte. W. Glover, Pte. A. R. Brooks, Pte. G. Yates, Pte. J. Knifton, Pte. W. Hill, Pte. C. H. C. Wilson, Rfn. W. Knight, Sergt. J. Hancock and Pte. A. Fowkes.

The cross was designed by Mr T. H. Fosbrooke, architect, of Leicester, whose brother is the Squire of Ravenstone Hall, and it was executed by Mr J. H. Morcomb, also of Leicester. The cost was about £150, which has been defrayed by public subscription.

The memorial stands in a most eminent position in the picturesque churchyard, by the side of the pathway leading to the main entrance of the church, and the unveiling ceremony by Major Hatchett, J.P., in the autumn sunshine, with a huge concourse of people gathered around, formed a very impressive scene.

THE SERVICE

The proceedings commenced with a service in the quaint old church, which was packed to the doors, many, in fact, being unable to get in. The uplifting strains of the hymn, “O God, our help in ages past,” formed an appropriate commencement, and then followed a form of service, led by the Rector (the Rev. S. Dowling) in which proper Psalms (21 and 121), lessons (Wisdom iii, 1 – 9 and Rev. 21 1 – 7) and prayers were fittingly mingled, each serving to emphasise the leading note of the day. The anthem beautifully rendered by the choir, was taken from the words of the special lesson. “The Souls of the Righteous,” and the sermon was preached by the Rev. J. D. C. Wallace, the Master of Ravenstone Hospital, whose text was Philippians Ic 22v “With Christ, which is far better.” He said that for many centuries in peace and war time that church had stood at Ravenstone, but never before in its history had it seen what stood in its shadow to-day – a beautiful memorial inscribed with the names of nearly 30 Ravenstone boys who gave their lives in the war. Never before was there such a war, and never before was Ravenstone called upon to make such a sacrifice. “We need no monument,” he said, “They are our boys; we know their faces, know their generous dispositions and the fine spirit which sent them forth. All that is enshrined in our memories and nothing can deface it. We need no monument, but there is one outside because there will come after us generations who knew not out boys, and that monument will tell them in years to come what Ravenstone boys did in the hour of England’s peril.”

The memorial, he continued, was a symbol of their faith, of the greatest sacrifice of that Eternal Son of God, Who came from Heaven. It was that supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross that inspired their boys to make their sacrifice upon the altar of patriotism, and it would be acceptable to God. There would be sad thoughts that day, but he asked them to let proud thoughts prevail over the sad ones. They should be proud because they were the parents and friends of such boys – proud because they were not found wanting in the crucial hour, and because a new glory had come to their homes whether it was castle or cottage, the glory of their boys. Then their thoughts should help them to look forward, because the boys had only just passed on before them, called to a nobler work, and presently they would follow them. Let them not also forget the boys who came back. They went to stop the cruel evil and oppression which was threatening the people of this country from abroad. They wanted to ensure a peaceful and happy life for those here at home, believing them to be worthy of it. It was for them to prove that worth during the rest of their lives. If they were to keep up their jealousies and petty grievances the boys would have fought in vain, and there would be no better England. The boys taught them charitableness, unselfishness, and through love to serve one another. Let them take up the task and as they stood around the memorial solemnly pledge themselves before God and their boys that they would fight uncharitableness and selfishness among themselves and try to be more brotherly men and more sisterly women, to stand together for peace and good-will at home as they stood together in awful peril of the war. “That,” he concluded, “is the best tribute we can pay to those gallant boys, and when they see and know that, they will know that they have not died in vain; that we are worthy for whom they did such great things, and they will rest in peace and possess their souls in patience until that glad day when we and they shall meet again in the blessed presence of that one God, the Father and Saviour of us all.”

After the sermon the hymn, “Ten thousand times, ten thousand,” was sung, during which a collection for the memorial fund realised £13/8/3.

THE UNVEILING

A procession was then formed of the choir, clergy, wardens and members of the Memorial Committee, which proceeded to the cross, singing the hymn, “Through the night doubt and sorrow.”

Relatives of the fallen were given a place prominence around the memorial, and the service of dedication, conducted by the Rector, opened with the singing of “When I survey the wondrous Cross.” Having performed the ceremony of unveiling, Major J. Hatchett, J.P., said, “Several years ago, the Rector called a meeting, which appointed a committee to consider and report upon a suitable memorial, to do honour to the memory of the men who died for their country in the great war. The committee were fortunate in having the kind advice and assistance of an eminent architect, who was a native of Ravenstone, and took great interest in the memorial, the result being the placing here of this beautiful monument. The architect’s name is Mr Thomas Fosbrooke, of Leicester, and we have to thank Mr Fosbrooke very much for what he has done. We have today taken part in a solemn service in that venerable church in which so many generations of our fathers have worshipped, and we now are privileged to be assembled here in this acre of sacred ground, the resting place of so many of our beloved dead, for the purpose of discharging the honourable duty of assisting at the dedication of this memorial erected by the people of Ravenstone to the blessed memory of 28 brave men, who loved their country, and gave their lives to save English men, women and children from tyranny and oppression. We all desire to show our unstinted appreciation and our unbounded admiration of the courageous spirit of those fearless men, who, when their country was wantonly attacked, considered it to be a sacred duty to defend it; and this memorial, which has been raised as a tribute of respect, will remind us and those who came after us, our children and our children’s children, of the undaunted courage and the undying fame of those men of Ravenstone who, whilst upholding the honour of the British flag, and sustaining the reputation of the British soldier, sacrificed their lives. We owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the men who went forth in full health and strength, leaving home, comfort, friends and relatives, to take their places in the battle line to fight in the righteous cause of freedom and justice, against the most cruel, vindictive and treacherous foe the world has ever known. Our sincere, straight-forward, unassuming, determined men, were unafraid and undismayed, although they knew that the Angel of Death was hovering over their path. Their loyal and valued services were very helpful to their country in the hour of her need. We had hoped to witness their return to receive a grateful nation’s recognition and thanks, but the inscrutable degree of Providence ordered it otherwise. They faithfully and manfully performed their duty, they died glorious deaths, they died for England, they died for all of us and the places on the field of honour, where they lie in warriors graves, are hallowed and sanctified by a nation’s grief, and watered by a nation’s tears. We deplore their loss; their splendid examples will remain; their glorious memories will endure. We thank God for such men; and if England’s sons maintain the courage, the devotion and the unselfish patriotism displayed by them, we have no fear for the independence of our race, or for the position of our country and empire amongst the nations of the world. We tender our sincere sympathy to their relatives, trusting that God’s blessing will rest upon them and lighten the burden of their bereavement. Ravenstone is proud of the ever-living memories and the noble deeds of her unreturning immortal heroes, who without fear faced the foe and walked into the valley of the shadow of death, to save the lives, the honour and liberties of those they left behind. These brave British soldiers sill live in our hearts and will not be forgotten; their name liveth for ever. We shall always mention with respect and reverence the names inscribed on this memorial stone, which has been raised to protect their memory, and preserve their story, and remain a lasting monument of their glory. Duty impelled them and they never faltered. There was no need for her to call them twice. The end they saw not, nor would have wished it altered. They took the cross, and made the sacrifice. God grant that we may be found worthy of them, in the days that are to be!”

The dedication of the monument was solemnly performed by the Rector and prayers were followed by the singing of the Doxology.

Two buglers then stepped to the front of the memorial and sounded the “Last Post” and whilst this was in progress, there flew up towards the heavens four homing pigeons released from the hands of the Rev. J. D. C. Wallace, beautifully symbolical of carrying the message of that day’s proceedings.

Many beautiful floral tributes were placed on the memorial by relatives and friends of the deceased men.

Research undertaken and submitted by Andy Murby September 2017