Hero Jack’s medals are handed to Drill Hall

MORE than a century has passed since 23-year-old Jack Cockhill led his men on a 45-minute raid into German positions, killing many enemy soldiers, destroying machine gun positions and earning him the Military Cross for his efforts.

Now the grime, guts and glory of those far-off days of the Great War are being remembered after the family of the Huddersfield ‘Tommy’ presented his medals to archivists of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (DWR) at the town’s Drill Hall.

A grocer’s son, John Bates Cockhill was born in Netherton in 1893. Known as Jack, he died, aged 87, in Honley in 1980.

Almost 40 years later, thanks to the trustees of Huddersfield Drill Hall, his medals – including Military Cross and Bar and the Distinguished Service Order – will hang alongside others given to DWR soldiers.

Among those present at the hand-over were his surviving daughter, a grandson and his wife, great-grandchildren and a greatgreat granddaughter, as well as Colonel Tim Isles, a former commanding officer of the Dukes.

In 1916 Captain Jack Cockhill was just one of thousands of troops serving on the Western Front.

On the night of November 20 he was in command of a mixed group of six officers and 77 other ranks, plus three sappers from the Royal Engineers. Their task was to attack and destroy German trenches and machine gun positions.

Jack wrote a vivid yet sober account of the raid for the battalion’s official Unit War Diary.

After quite literally missing the bus to the front line, he and his party had to march for more than an hour to their attack position at Foncquevillers.

On arrival the men ate hot soup. Then it was time to advance via positions known as Thorpe Trench and New Street.

This is how Jack recalled the events that were to come. An edited extract from the War Diary, it makes for thrilling – and chilling – reading:

“At the entrance to Thorpe Trench, Second Lt Browning’s party took the lead and all were in position at the junction to New Street and the front line at 7.20pm.

“I ordered the Left Flanking Party to proceed from our trench at 7.33pm and the other parties followed in quick succession.

“We were closed up, clear of our (barbed) wire at 7.45pm, when the whole party moved forward along the tape.

“Many Very lights (flares) were sent up from the Boche lines on our right which caused our progress to be slow.

“Our barrage opened at 7.56pm just as the tail of the raiding party was crossing the sunken road. I then urged the men on. “At 8pm the head of our party collided with the tape party who were just setting fire to the torpedoes (Bangalore Torpedoes were explosive charges in tubes used by combat engineers to clear obstacles such as barbed wire defences). “Second Lt Browning told the party to get back and the torpedoes exploded at 8.01pm causing considerable confusion because of its force. “Half the men ran back about 50 yards but we rallied them, explaining the cause of the explosion, when the men came on again. There was no machine gun fire at the time. We all went forward and entered the trench. “Much fighting took place there. The bombers (soldiers armed with grenades) then came up. A sentry post of four Germans was accounted for, all the Boche being killed.

“The enemy dropped a bomb and killed one man. Lt Fisher got about 50 yards along the trench with his men. On his way he came across three dugout entrances.

“At the entrance to the first, three Boche were crouching where he and Sgt Ellis shot them. They rolled down the dugout steps.

“Bombs were thrown down all the entrances and he continued working along the trench. About 30 yards from the point of entry the communications trench was found, which Sgt Ellis and his men entered. This trench was in bad condition, evidently disused.

“Men were posted at the entrances to the dugouts and threw in P Bombs (phosphorous