|
|
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Site Home
Help & FAQs
Features
Submissions
Information
Advertisements
World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Pte. Reginald Darke Cockwill
British Army 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment
from:Totnes, Devon
(d.26th March 1918)
Reginald Cockwill was born in 1888 in Plymouth, Devon, to John Darke Cockwill and Sarah. He was the youngest brother of my great grandfather, Harry Darke Cockwill. Reginald was his closest friend, as well as Harry's brother. Reginald signed up to join the Army on May 18th 1915. He served in France. He wrote regularly to his family, especially Harry. Harry missed him and always kept Reg's last pencil-written letter dated Sunday 18th February 1918, in his wallet.In 1918, Reg's officer wrote to a local newspaper to tell his wife of his bravery. This newspaper clipping was also kept alongside the letter in wallet by Harry. It reads.
Lieut. K Gatey, writing to the widow of Pte. Reginald Cocktail at Totnes, says: “Your husband was acting as my orderly during the action of the 25th March, and came with me when I went to get in touch with he troops on my left. He was hit in the groin by a machine gun bullet. After the first shock, he did not seem in very much pain and he was taken down in a stretcher as soon as possible after a field dressing had been applied, to No 47 Casualty Clearing Station, and as it had to be evacuated on the 26th, I presume he was buried in the Military Cemetery which I am sorry to say is now in enemy hands. I was badly wounded myself on the evening of the 26th or I should have communicated with you before giving you these particulars which I have just received.Your husband was for over three months invaluable to me as batman, and was in every way an excellent soldier. On the day previous and the day he was wounded he showed the greatest of bravery and coolness under fire, and he will be a great loss to the Devon Regiment. Allow me to express my deepest sympathy to you and his family.”
Reg is buried in France and remembered with honour at the Rosieres British Cemetery. He was awarded the Victory medal, British medal and 1915 Star. (Pip, Squeak and Wilfred!).
Reginald Cockwill 4th from left front row. Devon Regiment.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
The Wartime Memories Project Website
is archived for preservation by the British Library
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.
