Leslie Hancock (cricketer)

Leslie Hancock
Personal information
Full name
Leslie Frank Hancock
Born25 October 1899
Jamnagar, Bombay Presidency,
British India
Died12 July 1944(1944-07-12) (aged 44)
Maupertus-sur-Mer, Normandy, France
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium-fast
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1926Marylebone Cricket Club
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 24
Batting average 12.00
100s/50s –/–
Top score 23
Balls bowled 54
Wickets 1
Bowling average 24.00
5 wickets in innings –
10 wickets in match –
Best bowling 1/4
Catches/stumpings 3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 19 January 2021

Leslie Frank Hancock OBE (25 October 1899 – 12 July 1944) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

Hancock was born at Jamnagar in British India to a British Indian Army major. He was educated in England at Cheltenham College, deciding upon the completion of his education to take a career in the military.[1] Going up to the Royal Military College, he graduated into the Royal Engineers as a second lieutenant in July 1921,[2] before gaining the rank of lieutenant in July 1923.[3] He played first-class cricket twice for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1926 against Wales and Cambridge University, with both matches played at Lord's.[4] He scored 24 runs in his two matches,[5] in addition to taking a single wicket with his right-arm medium-fast bowling, that of Wales' Cyril Rowland.[6]

He was granted the temporary rank of captain while serving as an adjutant with the Territorial Army in October 1929,[7] later gaining the rank in full in July 1932.[8] Hancock later served in the Second World War with the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] In the aftermath of the Normandy Landings in June 1944, Hancock commanded engineers constructing advanced landing grounds (ALG). While overseeing the construction of the Royal Air Force ALG B-12 at Ellon, Hancock was killed when the jeep he was travelling in struck a landmine near Maupertus-sur-Mer on 12 July.[9] His body was buried shortly thereafter at the Bayeux war cemetery.[10] He was survived by his wife, the actress Ellen Pollock, with whom he had one son.[11] He was posthumously made an OBE in the 1945 New Year Honours for his services during the war.[1]

  1. ^ a b c McCrery, Nigel (2011). The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War Two. Vol. 2nd. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1526706980.
  2. ^ "No. 32404". The London Gazette. 26 July 1921. p. 6000.
  3. ^ "No. 32844". The London Gazette. 13 July 1923. p. 4885.
  4. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Donald Ray". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. ^ "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Leslie Hancock". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Marylebone Cricket Club v Wales, 1926". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  7. ^ "No. 33551". The London Gazette. 12 November 1929. p. 7307.
  8. ^ "No. 33845". The London Gazette. 12 July 1932. p. 4559.
  9. ^ "ALG B-12 – Ellon". www.dday-overlord.com. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Frank Hancock". www.cwgc.org. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  11. ^ The World Who's who of Women. Vol. 10. Melrose Press. 1900. p. 666.