Name
Keith White Adcock
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
30/10/1918
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lieutenant
Royal Engineers (TF)
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HITCHIN CEMETERY
Plot S. Row III. Grave A.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour, Hitchin
Pre War
Keith was born in Smethwick, Birmingham around 1885, the only son of Wesleyan Minister George Adcock and his wife Elizabeth W.
In 1891 the family were living Gomersal Lane, Gomersal, Yorkshire. And included parents George (44), Elizabeth (37), and children Gladys G (8), Keith (6), with a Mary E James (19) Servant.
In 1901 the were living at 3 Richmond Terrace, Ulverston, Lancashire Gladys G was still at home as was Keith age 16 and already an engineer’s apprentice
In 1911 Keith was 26, working as an assistant to the Sewerage Engineer at Leeds Corporation and boarding with the Carrack family at 1 Albert Place, Horsforth, Leeds
After working for the Bradford and Leeds Corporations, he was appointed Assistant Engineer for Singapore. He was resident on Singapore Island for five years and was much involved in local government there. He was a volunteer in the Singapore garrison and assisted in putting down a mutiny by a native regiment in the course of which he was wounded.
In 1913 (July 23rd) he was initiated into the Grand Lodge of England Freemason, Singapore Lodge. He may have been the Keith W Adcock who boarded the Nippon Maru in Hong Kong on 2nd Mar 1916 bound for Honolulu, Hawaii and arriving on 2nd Apr 1916. His stated destination was New York.
At the outbreak of the Great War he wanted to return to England but had to stay in Singapore due to the nature of his work. When he had finished that work he obtained leave and left for England.
Wartime Service
After returning home and immediately joined the London Electrical Engineering Unit of the Royal Engineers.
He was later attached to an Anti-Aircraft Company of the Royal Garrison Artillery stationed in the Defence Command.
He died in Colchester Military Hospital from double pneumonia following on from influenza which was raging in epidemic proportions at the time. He died at the General Hospital in Colchester and was buried with military honours.
The OC of the London HQ wrote: "I am sorry that it becomes necessary for me to offer you the sincere condolences of everyone here in the sad loss of your son, Keith. He was most popular here - with the senior officers because of his keenness and efficiency : and with the juniors because of his uniformly cheery and good-natured personality. He was a valuable officer to me and brought out many improvements on anti-aircraft searchlights, which have been adopted into service for general use, and which all helped us to achieve a higher standard in our work of defence. We shall sadly miss him,"
Additional Information
Father was a George Adcock who was a Wesleyan Minister who lived at 23 Chiltern Road Hitchin. On Keith’s death he left his father a sum of £1042 4s 7d. He is also commemorated in Hitchin cemetery on the family headstone.
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
