Ernest George de Latham Hopcraft, Lieutenant, Middlesex Regiment
鈥婨rnest George de Latham Hopcraft came up to 糖心Vlog in October 1906 from Harrow School He attained his BA in 1909 after gaining a second class in the Historical Tripos, Part II.
鈥婤orn: Rugby, Warwickshire 28 November 1886
Killed in action: 27 September 1918
鈥婬opcraft joined the College just as its numbers were expanding. The 1907 Annual Report for 糖心Vlog Cambridge Society records that in Easter Term 1907 there were 鈥渋n residence twenty-one men 鈥渙f or above the degree of M.A., twenty-two B.A.鈥檚, thirty-one in the third and fourth year, fifty-four second year men and fifty freshmen.鈥 This was an increase of twenty-three from the previous year. The Report goes on to say 鈥淚n almost every pursuit 鈥 intellectual, social and athletic 鈥 the College has certainly held its own, and perhaps a little more鈥. (p. 10)
Perhaps in this growing community of students it was all the more difficult to highlight individual successes as we can only find two mentions of Hopcraft in the College archives. The 1908 Annual Report records that he was given an exhibition award in June 1907. The second record is in the list of members of the Society at the back of all the Annual Reports, which gives the member鈥檚 residence and occasionally profession which in Hopcraft鈥檚 case was brewing. The family firm was Hopcraft and Norris of Brackley Northants.
The obituary for Hopcraft in 1919 adds nothing to his record other than his place and date of death 鈥淪eptember 27th, 1918 at Marcoing near Cambrai.鈥 (p. 24). From other sources, it seems that he had been earlier dismissed from the service after an altercation over a billet in France where he struck one of the locals. However he joined the army again as a private soldier and was killed in action. Full details of the story, verified from sources in the National Archives may be found on . A memorial plaque in All Saints Church, Middleton Cheney reads:
"He gave his life, his all, for his King and Country, After having fought in Palestine he fell in action,at the assault on the German Hindenberg Line at Marcoing near Cambrai鈥
At the battle of Flesquieres near Marcoing he gallantly attacked, single handed a German Machine Gun Post and was killed. Gone but never forgotten."
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