Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookssy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =HOBBS, JAMES WILLIAM BIGGS=, Gunner, R.M.A., 12509, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =HOBBS, JOHN=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.), yst. _s._ of the late William Hobbs, of Toddington, co. Bedford, Butcher, by his wife, Millicent, dau. of John Carr; _b._ Toddington, 8 Feb. 1890; educ. Toddington National School; enlisted in Sept. 1908, in the Royal Scots, won his third, second and first certificates in the Army, and left for India in Oct. 1900; while there was sent to a college at Bangalore to qualify for the higher education, and received his certificate for acting schoolmaster. On the outbreak of war he returned to England with his regt. and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 14 Dec. 1914, leaving for France 19 Dec. the same year. He died of wounds received in action at Armentières 28 June, 1915, and was buried at Bailleul. Lieut. Hobbs was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French's Despatch of 31 May, 1915, for gallant and distinguished service in the field and received the Military Cross in June. He _m._ at St. Mary Bolton, South Kensington, 26 Nov. 1914, Helen Coote (8, Crown Road, Maldon), 2nd dau. of Arthur Brady, of Maldon, Essex; _s.p._ She is now a nurse at the Essex County Hospital. [Illustration: =John Hobbs.=] =HOBBS, JOSEPH LEVINE=, Sailmaker, 167871, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._ =HOCKING, FRANCIS JAMES=, D.C.M., L.-Sergt., No. 1027, 1/7th Battn. The Middlesex Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of William Hocking, of The Gardens, Copley Dene, Cholmeley Park, Highgate, Head Gardener, by his wife, Fanny, dau. of Richard Lovejoy; _b._ Kentish Town, N., 8 Oct. 1893; educ. Whittington School, Highgate Hill, and Acland Higher Grade School, Fortress Road, N.W.; and subsequently obtained an appointment at the Railway Clearing House; joined the 7th Middlesex Territorials, 3 Jan. 1910; volunteered for foreign service on the outbreak of war; left England with his battn. for Gibraltar, 4 Sept. 1914, returned to England 13 Feb. 1915; was appointed L.-Sergt. 9 March; went to France four days later; was severely wounded on 7 May, and died in the 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell, 18 May, 1915; _unm._ He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal [London Gazette, 5 Aug. 1914] "For gallant conduct and resource on the night of 7 May, 1915, when with a party covering important new works between our own and the German lines. The enemy stalked the party, and rushed on them from flank and rear. L.-Sergt. Hocking continued to act with the greatest courage and coolness, although severely wounded, and gave a fine example to his men of steadiness and devotion to duty." Capt. (now Major) S. C. Smith, Commanding "A" Coy., wrote: "I have known your son since he joined and I think can give no higher praise than to say he was thoroughly worthy of the rank he held; he was trusted and respected by all of us, both below and above him in military rank. Although under the recent double company organisation I did not, perhaps, come into such personal touch with him as I did before, nevertheless I was able to watch closely his military career, which was in every way as successful as it could possibly be; his platoon commander, Lieut. Groser, I know, respected him highly as a section commander. I saw him directly after the affair in which he was wounded and was struck by the heroic way in which he was bearing the pain of his wound, which one could see was, at the time, great. His behaviour during the fight was magnificent, and although wounded, he did much to help drive off the Germans; he has in consequence had his name sent in to Army Headquarters for special recommendation, and had he lived he would have had the satisfaction of knowing that he was not wounded in vain." Lieut. Groser also wrote: "As you know I was with your son when he was wounded, and as his platoon commander, I was much in contact with him the whole time that we were in France, so that I probably knew him as well as anyone in the battn. He was a most valuable non-commissioned officer to me, and I always felt that he was absolutely to be relied upon, if at any time we should find ourselves in difficulties. The men in No. 3 platoon liked and respected him, and he was always a friend to every private, even the newest joined. On the night of 7 May, when he was lying wounded on the ground, he continued to fire at the Germans (who at that point were 15 against 7), and was largely instrumental in driving them off. I repeat that incident because that was typical of your son--he did not know when beaten, even when wounded and all odds against him." He was buried in Highgate New Cemetery, with full military honours and a memorial was unveiled there, July, 1916. [Illustration: =Francis J. Hocking.=] =HOCKING, WILLIAM JOHN=, Private, No. 13506, 5th Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, eldest _s._ of the late William John Hocking, of St. Budeaux, Devonport, Coy. Sergt.-Major, R.E., by his wife, Annie (1, Waverley Villas, Vicarage Road, St. Budeaux, Devonport), dau. of Richard Slemon, of Bull Point; _b._ Halifax, Nova Scotia, 10 Sept. 1889; educ. Devonport; returned to Canada in 1905, and settled at Moose Jaw, Sask.; was a Clerk; joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; came over with the first contingent in Oct.; went to France in Feb. following, and died at Rouen, 21 May, 1915, from wounds received in action at Hill 60, on 28 April. Buried at Rouen; _unm._ [Illustration: =William John Hocking.=] =HODDEN, HENRY ERNEST=, Private, R.M.L.I., Ch./12473, H.M.S. Hawke, _s._ of Thomas Hodden, of 66, Ifield Road, South Kensington; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914. =HODGE, DORRIEN EDWARD GROSE=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Suffolk Regt., 2nd _s._ of the Rev. Edward Grose Hodge, Vicar and Rural Dean of Paddington and Prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral; _b._ Anningsley Park, Chertsey, co. Surrey, 25 May, 1893; educ. Marlborough College (treble scholar) and Pembroke College, Cambridge (graduated with Classical Honours), was a member of the O.T.C., joined the army following the outbreak of war, gazetted 2nd Lieut. 29 Sept. 1914, and was killed in action near Ypres 27, April, 1915. Buried behind the trenches; _unm._ =HODGES, HAROLD=, Private, No. 2948, 13th Battn. (Princess Louise's Kensington) The London Regt. (T.F.), eldest _s._ of the late Robert Hodges, of Charmouth, Dorset, by his wife, Sarah (23, Redesdale Street, Chelsea, S.W.), dau. of James Turrell; _b._ London, 12 Oct. 1893; educ. Holy Trinity School, Chelsea; was a Clerk; joined the Kensingtons in Sept. 1914, after the outbreak of war; went to France, Feb. 1915, and was killed in action during the attack of the 8th Division on the German position at Fromelles and Aubers Ridge, 9 May, 1915; _unm._ =HODGES, HAROLD WARDALE=, 2nd Lieut., 6th (Reserve) 2nd Battn. King's Royal Rifle |