HANCOCK, Ernest Meredith
| Service Number: | WX7726 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 August 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Bombardier |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/3rd Field Regiment |
| Born: | Swindon, Wiltshire, England, 29 November 1909 |
| Home Town: | Cowaramup, Augusta-Margaret River Shire, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Mullalyup Primary School, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, 13 August 1991, aged 81 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Enfield Memorial Park, South Australia The Western Australian Garden of Remembrance |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 10 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Bombardier, WX7726, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 1941: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, WX7726, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment, embarked Fremantle for Middle East | |
| 7 Mar 1942: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Gunner, WX7726, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment, embarked Suez for Melbourne on board Durban Castle | |
| 26 Nov 1944: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Bombardier, WX7726, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment, embarked Cairns for Aitape on board Duntroon | |
| 7 Dec 1945: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Bombardier, WX7726, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment, embarked Wewak for Brisbane on board Duntroon | |
| 4 Jan 1946: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Bombardier, WX7726, 2nd/3rd Field Regiment | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement WX7726 |
Help us honour Ernest Meredith Hancock's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
One of four brothers (Harold, Archie and Alex) who served in WWII, Lance Bombardier Ernest Meredith Hancock (Service No:WX7726) enlisted in the AIF on 10 August 1940 as a Gunner - Trade Group Signaller. Gunner Hancock served in the Middle East (9 September 1941 - 7 March 1942), and was a Lance Bombardier attached to 2/3 Field Regiment in New Guinea (26 November 1944 - 7 December 1945). Lance Bombardier Hancock was attached to 2/3 Field Regiment at Discharge on 4 January 1946.
Born in Wiltshire, England in 1909, Ernie was fourth of seven children of William (Willie) Hancock (b1872 in Wiltshire, England) and Alice Jane Carter (b1878 in Wiltshire, England). Willie and Alice married in 1896 in Swindon, where they settled and raised their family and Willie was a Milk Purveyor (Vendor). Willie and Alice immigrated with four children in 1911, arriving in Fremantle on board the Ophir. The family moved to Balingup, where Willie was a Labourer, before settling in Mallalyup via Balingup by 1917, where they raised their family and Willie was a Sanitation Contractor. In the early 1930s, Willie and Alice moved to Cowaramup, Margaret River - part of the Group Settlement Scheme (Group 13), and Willie was a Farmer.
Ernie worked as a Labourer in Mallalyup via Balingup, and in 1928 in Perth married his first wife Edith (Millie) Amelia Bovell (b1912 in Donnybrook, Western Australia). Ernie and Millie lived in Mullalyup and Serpentine, where they raised their family and Ernie was a Labourer. In 1940 when he enlisted in the Army, Ernie and Millie were living in Cowaramup, where Ernie was a Labourer. Following his Discharge from the Army, Ernie and Millie lived in Gnangara via Guildford, and Ernie worked as a Forester. By 1951, Ernie and Millie had separated - Millie remained in Perth and Ernie moved to Magill, South Australia and, in 1958 in Adelaide, married his second wife Doris Robertson (b1932 in Perth, Western Australia). Ernie and Doris settled in Magill - Ernie died in 1991 and Doris in 2006.
Click images to start slideshow.