724671 Pte. Thomas Henry Bocking

Ligny-St. Flochel British Cemetery

Averdoingt

Pas de Calais

France

Born in London, England in November 1895, Thomas was a bartender at the time of attestation in November 1915.

Originally signing on with the 109th (Victoria and Haliburton) Battalion, Thomas was transferred to the 146th Battalion in March 1916, and was then amongst 276 men of the 146th to be transferred to the 4th CMR in November and December 1916.

At the time of his loss, on August 29th, 1918, the 4th CMR were in the front line at Feuchy, just west of Arras, France, and had just been involved in an attack on Monchy-le-Preux on the 27th. Ordered to take enemy trenches to the south of Boiry on the 28th, such was the advance on the 27th, that the men had to move forward 6,000 yards (5.5km) over difficult ground before even being able to engage their foe.

In that action, on the 28th, advancing with his company on the final objective, Thomas was seriously wounded by a close enemy shell explosion. Evacuated to No. 1 Casualty Clearing Station, he succumbed to his wounds on the 29th. Casualties from the attack and subsequent consolidation amounted to 4 officers killed, 11 wounded, and 22 other ranks killed, 214 wounded.

Pte. Thomas Bocking is one of 20 men of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles known to lie at rest in Ligny-St.Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, France.

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Thanks go to Yvo Henniker-Heaton for the headstone image. The biography excerpt is courtesy of 4cmr.com