David Cochrane

Personal History

David Cochrane (the name can be spelt Cochran or Cockrane) was born in late 1883 at Lower Handside Farm. In the mid-1870s his parents, Robert and Marion, moved from Wigton in Scotland to Hertfordshire in search of agricultural work. Robert first worked at West End Farm in Essendon and later worked for Mr Hunter at Peartree Farm and finally for Mr Horn at Handside Farm. David was educated at Lemsford School and left to work on a farm.

On the 25th December 1906 he married Ada Maud, the daughter of George and Ellen Taylor of Stanborough, at St. John's church, Lemsford. They had five children three boys and two girls, sadly the eldest boy died aged three. His two daughters are recorded as being pupils at Lemsford School. In 1911 he was living at 14 Ash Street, Hertford working as a miller's joiner. By February 1917 the family had moved to Hallingbury, near Bishop's Stortford. Attended St Johns School.

War Record

1st Battalion of the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment. We know little about David's war record except that he enlisted at Epping and joined the 1st Battalion of the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent) Regiment as Private G/23264 Cockrane. He died on the 5th July 1917. His name can be found on Bay 7 of the Arras Memorial. On this Memorial are the names of almost 35,000 servicemen from the British Isles, South Africa and New Zealand who died between the spring of 1916 and the 7th August 1818, the eve of the Advance to Victory, in and around Arras and have no known graves.

The Bishops Hatfield parish magazine for September 1917 reported

'News has been received by Mr & Mrs Cochrane of the death of their son, Private D. Cochrane, of the West Kent Regiment, killed in action on July 5th. Private Cochrane formerly lived in Stanborough. Much sympathy is felt for his parents, and widow who is left with four little children. Mr & Mrs Cochrane’s eldest son died in South Africa, so this is the second they have lost in the service of their country.'