Soldier Record

My grandfather died aged 27 years. He was the son of Alfred Cocker and Mary Jane Cocker and husband of Sarah Ann Cocker, father of Mary and Alfred Cocker. He died on the 16th October 1926. He served with the 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Regiment. My sister and I never saw his photo until our interest in family history led us to search the local papers of the time, where many, many of the soldiers' details are recorded.

The sense of sorrow and loss experienced at the deaths of these young soldiers resulted in the local Methodist Church at Royton, where the family lived appealing for them to be 'adopted' by local families. Our Nana Cocker and our mother Mary and Uncle Alfred were informally adopted and take in by Sarah Ann's sister, Sarah Ann Fitton and her husband Lees Fitton. We heard the story many times when we were growing up but nothing was said about his photograph and why it wasn't kept in rememberance.