Frank Herbert (Lord) HANCOCK MID

HANCOCK, Frank Herbert

Service Number: Officer
Enlisted: 25 March 1915
Last Rank: Captain
Last Unit: 50th Infantry Battalion
Born: Hay, New South Wales, Australia, 10 January 1885
Home Town: Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Timekeeper
Died: Killed In Action, Villers-Bretonneux, France, 24 April 1918, aged 33 years
Cemetery: Adelaide Cemetery Villers-Bretonneux, France
(III.K.6.)
Memorials: Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide The 50th Battalion Commemorative Cross, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill War Memorial, Glenelg and District WW1 & WW2 Honour Board
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World War 1 Service

25 Mar 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: ''

25 Mar 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1
20 Apr 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Adelaide
4 Jun 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
4 Aug 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli
26 Feb 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion
29 Feb 1916: Honoured Mentioned in Despatches
1 Apr 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion
12 Aug 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières
13 Aug 1916: Wounded Battle for Pozières , General Shrapnel Wound - Right Thigh/ Hip
25 Jan 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, Army Training Units
20 Aug 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion
26 Sep 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, Polygon Wood
28 Mar 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, Dernancourt/Ancre
24 Apr 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 50th Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux,

--- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 50 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1918-04-24

Date unknown: Involvement 50th Infantry Battalion
Date unknown: Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

Obituary

Captain FRANK H. HANCOCK, who was killed inaction in France on April 24, was the only son of Mrs. E. Hancock, of Stromnell, Glenelg, and brother of Staff-Nurse Laura Hancock, stationed at Salonika. He left a responsible position in the timekeeping department of the Central mine, Broken Hill, where he had been employed for a number of years. He sailed from Australia during April, 1915, in command of the 5th Reinforcements of the 10th Battalion, with the rank of lieutenant. He and his men were almost immediately sent to Gallipoli, where he remained for four months before he was invalided to England. His illness lasted for three months, after which he went to Egypt. He and his men were known as 'the travelling circus,' owing to the rapidity of their movements. After three laborious months his services were rewarded by promotion to captain, and he was mentioned in dispatches. During March, 1916, Captain Hancock was transferred to France, where he received a bullet wound in the thigh four months later. Within a month he returned to duty, and remained until January, 1917, when he was sent to England, after having been once more 'mentioned.' For the following six months he was stationed at Codford as second in command of the 13th Training Battalion. These duties necessitated several journeys to France on special duty. In August, 1917, Captain Hancock returned to the trenches, and was there continuously (during the last few months as adjutant and acting major), until he met his death. He came of an old English family, the members of which have served their country well for many generations. He was the great nephew of the 14th Admiral Sir Henry Chad, and nephew of Colonel Hancock, of the Indian Army. Captain Hancock was widely known in athletic circles, and he always 'played the game.'

Source: Chronicle (Adelaide) Saturday 22 June 1918

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Biography

Born in Hay, New South Wales on 10 January 1885, he was the only son of Robert E Hancock (solicitor, of Fareham, England) and Emma Hancock (nee Hollingdale, of Hertfordshire, England). His family later moved to Glenelg, South Australia.

A 29 year old timekeeper prior to being appointed a Second Lieutenant in the AIF on 25 March 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 5th Reinforcements of the 10th Battalion from Adelaide on 20 April 1915 aboard HMAT Hororata. He arrived at Gallipoli on 6 June 1915 and was promoted to Lieutenant on 4 August 1915 before taking ill on 26 August. Evacuated off Gallipoli to seek further medical attention he wouldn't return. He was Mentioned in the Despatches of General Sir Ian Hamilton on 11 December 1915.

Back in Egypt, he was transferred to the 50th Battalion on 26 February 1916 and went with them to France in June 1916. After being promoted to Captain on 1 April 1916, he was wounded in action at Pozieres on 13 August 1916 and evacuated to England for medical treatment. Two months later, after recovering from his wounds, he returned to the 50th Battalion in France.

He spent the first eight months of 1917 with the 13th Training Battalion in England before returning to the 50th Battalion in France on 20 August 1917. Captain Hancock was killed in action at Villers-Bretonneux, France on 24 April 1918 and buried in the Adelaide Cemetery, at Villers-Bretonneux. 

He was commonly referred to as 'Lord' by his friends, however, it is unknown how this came about.

 

1914/15 Star: 2935

British War Medal: 10912

Victory Medal: 10866

Memorial Plaque and Scroll: 357811

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