Bernard Bocking 2nd Lieutenant - Yorkshire Regiment, attd. 11th Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment Killed in action on Wednesday 21st August 1918, aged 20 Buried Outtersteene Cemetery, Bailleul, Nord, France Rev. John Bocking from Derbyshire married Yorkshire born Sarah Ryder in 1893 at Lambeth and had 10 children. Henry and Maud (the two youngest) were born in Gnosall. The others were from Fenton, Stoke on Trent.  John Bocking became vicar at Gnosall following the death of Rev. John Till in 1901 Bernard Bocking was born in 1898. He first served as a 2nd Lt with the London Regiment and joined the 12th battalion “Teesside Pioneers” in a draft of replacements in October of 1917 at Moislains. Despite being a pioneer unit, 2nd Lt Bocking and the battalion were in the thick of the fighting at Bourlon Wood in late 1917 and during the enemy spring offensive of early 1918 where they fought on the river Lys. The break up of the 12th battalion began on May 5th when 2nd Lt Bocking and other officers and men were returned to the base depot at Calais to be redeployed. He was then attached to the 11th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment and was awarded the Military Cross July 1918 Bernard was killed in action on August 21st 1918 at the age of 20.He fell in bitter fighting for the Outtersteene Ridge not far from Bailleul. Bernard Bocking is buried at Outtersteene Communal Cemetery Extension three miles south west of Bailleul. He is buried in plot 2, row H, grave 52 – which in the picture is towards the north/top just to the right of the Great Cross. (Grave nearest cross is ‘60’). This is the grave Inscription, as chosen by his parents: -