A trio to 12515 Pte J W Hancock Yorks L I

A trio to 12515 Pte J W Hancock Yorks L I

Confirmed Prisoner of War

John W. Hancock was born in Sheffield in 1894 in civilian life he was a landscape gardener. He attested in Sheffield, his age on enlistment was 20. Hancock arrived in France on the 19^th December 1914 with the 1^st Battalion.

He was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 8.5.15 and Acting Corporal on the 4.10.1915. He was down graded to a L/Cpl after being reprimand on 16.3.16 and was once again a Pte on the 22.2.1917 ( writing is difficult to under stand, an incident on shore leave?)

Hancock served in France until September 1915 when he was transferred to Egypt. In October 1915 he arrived in Salonika. In August 1916 while serving in Macedonia he contracted Malaria, interestingly it wasn’t treated until August 1917 when he spent 8 days in hospital in Hull ( 31.8.17 – 8.9.17)

He didn’t go back over seas until the 30^th March 1918 being posted to France. On the 27^th May 1918 he was listed as missing then confirmed to be a Prisoner of War. He was released from captivity on the 31^st December 1918.

The remaining pages of his pension record deals with his pension claim, stemming from his malaria infection. He was examined at the University of Sheffield in the department of diseases and bacteria research and found to no longer have malaria in his system. Never the less he did have some long lasting side effects such as stiffness in his back. He was awarded £5.00

A nice confirmed POW set with 28 pages online.