Leslie Frank Hancock (25 October 1899 – 12 July 1944) was an English first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er and British Army officer. Hancock was born at

Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...

in British India to a

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

major. He was educated in England at Cheltenham College, deciding upon the completion of his education to take a career in the military. Going up to the

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Mala ...

, he graduated into the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in July 1921, before gaining the rank of lieutenant in July 1923. He played first-class cricket twice for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1926 against Wales and Cambridge University, with both matches played at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

. He scored 24 runs in his two matches, in addition to taking a single wicket with his right-arm medium-fast bowling, that of Wales'

Cyril Rowland Cyril Arthur Rowland (9 June 1905 – 30 June 1971) was a Welsh cricketer. Rowland was a right-handed batsman who occasionally fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, Denbighshire. Rowland made his first-class debut ...

. He was granted the temporary rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

while serving as an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

with the Territorial Army in October 1929, later gaining the rank in full in July 1932. Hancock later served in the Second World War with the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. In the aftermath of the Normandy Landings in June 1944, Hancock commanded engineers constructing advanced landing grounds (ALG). While overseeing the construction of the Royal Air Force ALG B-12 at Ellon, Hancock was killed when the jeep he was travelling in struck a landmine near

Maupertus-sur-Mer Maupertus-sur-Mer (, literally ''Maupertus on Sea'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. See also * Cherbourg - Maupertus Airport ...

on 12 July. His body was buried shortly thereafter at the

Bayeux war cemetery The Bayeux War Cemetery is the largest Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France, located in Bayeux, Normandy. The cemetery contains 4,648 burials, mostly of the Invasion of Normandy. Opposite this cemetery stands the Bayeux ...

. He was survived by his wife, the actress Ellen Pollock, with whom he had one son. He was posthumously made an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the British ...

for his services during the war.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Leslie 1899 births 1944 deaths People from Jamnagar People educated at Cheltenham College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Engineers officers English cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers British Army personnel killed in World War II Officers of the Order of the British Empire Landmine victims Military personnel of British India