Wright COCKSHOTT

06 October 1916

STEETON-WITH-EASTBURN – Missing

Private Wright Cockshott is reported as missing. The official news was received by the missing soldier’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. Cockshott, of Keighley Road, Steeton, on Friday last. Pte. Cockshott was a ‘Derby man’ and in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and had been with that unit during ‘the push’. He answered the roll call last on September 3rd.

12 January 1917

STEETON’S GALLANT DEAD

Happily there has during the closing months of the past year been few casualties amongst Steeton’s soldiers to report. Since the commencement of the war the following well-known local soldiers who have been residents in the village have given their lives for the cause of right and humanity.–Arthur Smith, William Dawes, Herbert Dove, Thomas Robson, James Walker (died in training period), Willie Brooksbank, Ewart Myers, Thomas Fitzsimons, Prince Dawson, Fred Ellison, R. Nicholson, W.H. Teale, William Naylor, William Robson, Joseph Hale, Clarence Wilson, Mathias Dove, James Dove, John Nelson, whilst to add to the above are the names of Spencer Cliff missing since the ever-to-be-remembered landing at Suvla Bay in August, 1915, and Wright Cockshott who has been included in the list of those missing since the early autumn of 1916. Several soldiers whose occupations necessitated residence in the village previous to the war have ‘made the sacrifice’ but are not included in the list.

06 July 1917

STEETON-WITH-EASTBURN – A SAD CONCLUSION

The War Office officials, in a letter received on Monday morning by Mr. and Mrs. C. Cockshott, Keighley Road, Steeton, state that they have been unable to obtain any further information concerning their son, Pte. Wright Cockshott, West Riding Regiment, who has been reported as missing since September 3rd 1916. The letter states that they are constrained to conclude that Pte. Cockshott was killed in the advance on or about September 3rd. In civil life the 27th Steeton soldier to fall in the war was a weaving overlooker, and was formerly in the employ of John Clough and Sons, Steeton, and was also actively associated with the Steeton and District Rose Society. Joining the Army as a Derby man in April 1916, the deceased, who was in his 28th year, had only been on the Western Front several weeks when he made the great sacrifice.

The grief of the family was not lessened when on Monday they received news that the second eldest of their five soldier sons, Pte. William Cockshott, had been admitted into hospital with a broken thigh from being kicked by a horse. The injured soldier was an experienced horseman, was engaged on the Horse Transport Corps., and was at Winchester when his accident occurred last Saturday.