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A Strange Coincidence - Two trees, two graves and a missing mobile phone! Surname Hockley

mbenne

master brummie
During lockdown the car has hardly moved off the drive. Let’s face it, there haven’t been many opportunities to use it other than for the weekly shop. I’m not complaining, it has presented plenty of opportunities to go out walking and my wife and I have been doing a lot of walking of late. First it was to the local shops, then further afield to the park, the distance increasing each day until we have two circuits, a short one, about 2.5 miles and a longer one, which is almost 4.5 miles.

We try and walk as far as possible each day but the weather usually dictates which circuit we do. Sometimes it’s a real effort to get motivated, particularly if its cold, though we did manage the long walk a few weeks back in snow. To pass the time on our walks I like to take note of any old buildings and landmarks which I check out on Old-Maps and search for photographic references so that I can better imagine how the area once looked.

Solihull Lane / Streets Brook Road, which can be quite busy so we’ve been making a detour through Robin Hood Cemetery. No pun intended but its really ‘peaceful’ here, out of earshot of traffic noise, walking along pathways lined with alternately planted evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Towards the main gate there are still little pockets of natural woodland, the only remnants of Shoulder of Mutton Wood where Robin Hood Cemetery was sited.

Along one of the pathways is a very large tree growing up through the centre of a grave. Even though it is in keeping with the general layout and spacing of all the other trees I couldn’t imagine that it had been placed here by design. Being very well established I guessed it must have been planted around the time the cemetery was opened, in 1917. Idle curiosity made me to look for an inscription date. The grave’s edging stones had long been displaced by the tree roots and a crude attempt had been made to reposition them, one of the stones having been overturned to hold another in situ. It was a family plot, though I could see only two inscriptions. On one side was ‘Also of William Hockley Aged 79, 1923’ and on the other was ‘Also of Herbert John Hockley, Aged 38, 1st July 1916’. Though the second inscription was heavily encrusted with moss I happened to notice the words ‘Newfoundland Regiment’. This wasn’t a CWG grave so I began to wonder why someone from around these parts had enlisted with a Canadian Regiment? What was he doing in Canada, where had he and his family lived?

1614806465545.png
I made a mental note of the inscriptions so that I could do some research when we got home. Later that evening I realised I’d forgotten both the names and dates! On another walk, some days later, I decided not to leave it to memory and took photograph. The most logical start point for me should have been the CWG site but instead I went to the 1891 census. There weren’t many Hockleys in the Birmingham area and I found the family in Sparkbrook.
1614806550902.png
Despite a slight discrepancy between the forenames on the grave (Herbert John) and the CWG site, John Herbert Hockley, the commemoration gave a later address in Olton.
1614806571097.png
I know Richmond Road very well and have driven along it many times. More recently, my wife and I walked down it to the local medical centre for our covid vaccinations! I’ve always admired the splendid row of Edwardian terraced houses on this road and have often wondered who may have occupied them - not surprisingly the road has already had a mention on BHF from mikejee!


I was still curious as to why John had joined the Canadian forces and wondered if anyone else from the Warwickshire area had enlisted with him. The CWG records revealed that the regiment had almost 1300 WW1 casualties, 243 on the same day, 01/07/1916. Of all the casualties there were only 11 from the UK and the nearest was Private 1812, Leo Francis Jesso, whose parents lived at 26, Dudley Road, Wolverhampton. There were was no further information on John so I highlighted his name, rank and serial number on the CWG result page for another Google search. Surprisingly, this returned two positive results, both on a cultural site, The Rooms, based in St John’s, Newfoundland, where many of the regiments casualties had enlisted. Two very interesting PDF files answered many of my questions.

Rather than post these on BHF I’ve added the links below.(PDF 216_0, author unknown)

https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/hockley_john_herbert_216_0.pdf

https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/hockley_john_herbert_216_1.pdf

It was tragic to learn why the 1st July 1916, when John had died, was so significant in the Newfoundland Regt history, and of the pain his parents must have suffered at his loss.

And here’s the strange coincidence/s……….

Two years ago, our house was burgled in the early hours. Having heard some strange noises downstairs, I went to investigate and disturbed whoever had broken in. They made off, but not empty handed, having taken my wallet and mobile phone. Fortunately, a patrol car was in the area and having made a 999 call the police arrived within minutes. While my wife was giving a statement I used her phone to call my mobile. It rang out! But not surprisingly there was no answer! Using the ‘Find My Device’ on Google I was able to see the last recorded location for my phone. It was almost 2.5 miles away, in Richmond Road, next to Olton Warf. The attending officer called for another patrol car to check the location but they found nothing!

The following day we had a visit from a local CID officer and I gave him all the details. I wasn’t sure how long his investigation would take but from what he told me it was unlikely that I’d here anymore from him. I decided to do my own investigation and visited Richmond Road with the intention of checking some back gardens. I knocked on all the doors in the immediate vicinity but there was no answer, except for one house where the owner kindly suggested that I could gain access to the rear gardens from a nearby alleyway.

I never found my wallet or phone. GPS isn’t too precise, and they probably both ended up in the nearby canal. However, the screenshot I’d taken from Google locate had shown that my phone was to the rear of number 13, where John had once lived and the house where the gentleman answered the door was no.21 or very close to it, where John’s eldest sister, Kate had lived!!!

It has been a few days since I’ve thought about posting this article and in the meantime, we’ve been on another of our walks through the cemetery. On this occasion I noticed, quite by accident, another large tree sprouting from a grave some 20 yards from the Hockleys. Again, curiosity made me look for an inscription to date the tree. The name on the inscription read ‘Ethel Daniell’ 1926. I stood for a moment trying to think why the name was familiar. It then dawned on me, and as you may have also noticed from John’s army records, this would have been his younger sister?
1614806643445.png

I’m not related to the Hockley family but If anyone on BHF knows of or is related to them, I hope this piece will be of interest. If anyone can fill in any gaps in the family history and of John’s younger brother Arthur please feel free. And any old pictures of Richmond Road would be appreciated!
 
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An interesting point in this thread is that this brave soldiers body was brought home for burial. I had always believed that until very recently burial was at ,or very near the place they fell.

Lest we forget. RIP soldier,duty done.


NoddKD
 
Could the headstone of the unfortunate WW1 soldier possibly be a memorial, rather than a marker for his resting place?

I ask this because the CWGC records state that he is "buried or commemorated" at Beaumont-Hamel. They also state that he died there on 1st July 1916, rather than being repatriated due to injuries received on that date and later passing away in the UK. Also, the possibility of his body being brought home seems remote in the extreme. The practice was prohibited for almost the entire subsequent period, it would have probably have had to be done illegally and also the expense of doing it like that would have been huge.

Chris
 
Could the headstone of the unfortunate WW1 soldier possibly be a memorial, rather than a marker for his resting place?

I ask this because the CWGC records state that he is "buried or commemorated" at Beaumont-Hamel. They also state that he died there on 1st July 1916, rather than being repatriated due to injuries received on that date and later passing away in the UK. Also, the possibility of his body being brought home seems remote in the extreme. The practice was prohibited for almost the entire subsequent period, it would have probably have had to be done illegally and also the expense of doing it like that would have been huge.

Chris
If there were no bodies in the two graves, they could certainly be memorial graves as you suggest and which explains why the trees were planted in the middle.
 
There is a photo of him here John Herbert Hockley
There is a possibility that he went to Canada in 1909 - this might explain why he joined the Canadian forces. However, unlike some entries, there is no English address so it is not certain this is the right person.
Name:John H Hockley
Gender:Male
Departure Date:28 Aug 1909
Port of Departure:Liverpool, England
Destination Port:St John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Ship Name:Carthaginian
 
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During lockdown the car has hardly moved off the drive. Let’s face it, there haven’t been many opportunities to use it other than for the weekly shop. I’m not complaining, it has presented plenty of opportunities to go out walking and my wife and I have been doing a lot of walking of late. First it was to the local shops, then further afield to the park, the distance increasing each day until we have two circuits, a short one, about 2.5 miles and a longer one, which is almost 4.5 miles.

We try and walk as far as possible each day but the weather usually dictates which circuit we do. Sometimes it’s a real effort to get motivated, particularly if its cold, though we did manage the long walk a few weeks back in snow. To pass the time on our walks I like to take note of any old buildings and landmarks which I check out on Old-Maps and search for photographic references so that I can better imagine how the area once looked.

Solihull Lane / Streets Brook Road, which can be quite busy so we’ve been making a detour through Robin Hood Cemetery. No pun intended but its really ‘peaceful’ here, out of earshot of traffic noise, walking along pathways lined with alternately planted evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Towards the main gate there are still little pockets of natural woodland, the only remnants of Shoulder of Mutton Wood where Robin Hood Cemetery was sited.

Along one of the pathways is a very large tree growing up through the centre of a grave. Even though it is in keeping with the general layout and spacing of all the other trees I couldn’t imagine that it had been placed here by design. Being very well established I guessed it must have been planted around the time the cemetery was opened, in 1917. Idle curiosity made me to look for an inscription date. The grave’s edging stones had long been displaced by the tree roots and a crude attempt had been made to reposition them, one of the stones having been overturned to hold another in situ. It was a family plot, though I could see only two inscriptions. On one side was ‘Also of William Hockley Aged 79, 1923’ and on the other was ‘Also of Herbert John Hockley, Aged 38, 1st July 1916’. Though the second inscription was heavily encrusted with moss I happened to notice the words ‘Newfoundland Regiment’. This wasn’t a CWG grave so I began to wonder why someone from around these parts had enlisted with a Canadian Regiment? What was he doing in Canada, where had he and his family lived?

View attachment 153786
I made a mental note of the inscriptions so that I could do some research when we got home. Later that evening I realised I’d forgotten both the names and dates! On another walk, some days later, I decided not to leave it to memory and took photograph. The most logical start point for me should have been the CWG site but instead I went to the 1891 census. There weren’t many Hockleys in the Birmingham area and I found the family in Sparkbrook.
View attachment 153787
Despite a slight discrepancy between the forenames on the grave (Herbert John) and the CWG site, John Herbert Hockley, the commemoration gave a later address in Olton.
View attachment 153788
I know Richmond Road very well and have driven along it many times. More recently, my wife and I walked down it to the local medical centre for our covid vaccinations! I’ve always admired the splendid row of Edwardian terraced houses on this road and have often wondered who may have occupied them - not surprisingly the road has already had a mention on BHF from mikejee!


I was still curious as to why John had joined the Canadian forces and wondered if anyone else from the Warwickshire area had enlisted with him. The CWG records revealed that the regiment had almost 1300 WW1 casualties, 243 on the same day, 01/07/1916. Of all the casualties there were only 11 from the UK and the nearest was Private 1812, Leo Francis Jesso, whose parents lived at 26, Dudley Road, Wolverhampton. There were was no further information on John so I highlighted his name, rank and serial number on the CWG result page for another Google search. Surprisingly, this returned two positive results, both on a cultural site, The Rooms, based in St John’s, Newfoundland, where many of the regiments casualties had enlisted. Two very interesting PDF files answered many of my questions.

Rather than post these on BHF I’ve added the links below.(PDF 216_0, author unknown)

https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/hockley_john_herbert_216_0.pdf

https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/hockley_john_herbert_216_1.pdf

It was tragic to learn why the 1st July 1916, when John had died, was so significant in the Newfoundland Regt history, and of the pain his parents must have suffered at his loss.

And here’s the strange coincidence/s……….

Two years ago, our house was burgled in the early hours. Having heard some strange noises downstairs, I went to investigate and disturbed whoever had broken in. They made off, but not empty handed, having taken my wallet and mobile phone. Fortunately, a patrol car was in the area and having made a 999 call the police arrived within minutes. While my wife was giving a statement I used her phone to call my mobile. It rang out! But not surprisingly there was no answer! Using the ‘Find My Device’ on Google I was able to see the last recorded location for my phone. It was almost 2.5 miles away, in Richmond Road, next to Olton Warf. The attending officer called for another patrol car to check the location but they found nothing!

The following day we had a visit from a local CID officer and I gave him all the details. I wasn’t sure how long his investigation would take but from what he told me it was unlikely that I’d here anymore from him. I decided to do my own investigation and visited Richmond Road with the intention of checking some back gardens. I knocked on all the doors in the immediate vicinity but there was no answer, except for one house where the owner kindly suggested that I could gain access to the rear gardens from a nearby alleyway.

I never found my wallet or phone. GPS isn’t too precise, and they probably both ended up in the nearby canal. However, the screenshot I’d taken from Google locate had shown that my phone was to the rear of number 13, where John had once lived and the house where the gentleman answered the door was no.21 or very close to it, where John’s eldest sister, Kate had lived!!!

It has been a few days since I’ve thought about posting this article and in the meantime, we’ve been on another of our walks through the cemetery. On this occasion I noticed, quite by accident, another large tree sprouting from a grave some 20 yards from the Hockleys. Again, curiosity made me look for an inscription to date the tree. The name on the inscription read ‘Ethel Daniell’ 1926. I stood for a moment trying to think why the name was familiar. It then dawned on me, and as you may have also noticed from John’s army records, this would have been his younger sister?
View attachment 153789

I’m not related to the Hockley family but If anyone on BHF knows of or is related to them, I hope this piece will be of interest. If anyone can fill in any gaps in the family history and of John’s younger brother Arthur please feel free. And any old pictures of Richmond Road would be appreciated!
Amazing, intriguing. Loved this read. Life is far more interesting when you walk to places, you see so much more. Thank you, Jen
 
Thanks, Janice, for helping complete the picture so far. I wonder if the contributor to Find a Grave was related?
I don't think there was any question as to his final resting place. The first link in my post (author unknown) has explained his movements and his brief return to the UK for training. His war record in the second link also references that he left the sum of £20, in his sister;s keeping, for his father , presumably when on leave in the UK.
 
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