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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2020}}
{{short description|British first class cricketer and army officer}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name =
| image =
| country = England
| fullname = Arthur Denis Bradford Cocks
| birth_date = 29 July 1904
| birth_place = [[Dharamshala]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]],<br>[[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1944|6|6|1904|7|29}}
| death_place = [[Sword Beach]], near [[Ouistreham]], Normandy, France
| nickname =
| family =
| heightft =
| heightinch =
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Unknown
| role =
| club1 = [[Bedfordshire County Cricket Club|Bedfordshire]]
| year1 = 1924
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1 = 2
| runs1 = 30
| bat avg1 = 15.00
| 100s/50s1 = –/–
| top score1 = 26[[not out|*]]
| deliveries1 = 306
| wickets1 = 0
| bowl avg1 = –
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = –
| catches/stumpings1 = 3/–
| date = 24 April
| year = 2019
| source = http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/11208.html Cricinfo
}}

'''Arthur Denis Bradford Cocks''' (29 July 1904 – 6 June 1944) was an English first-class cricketer and [[British Army]] officer. Cocks served with the [[Royal Engineers]] from 1925–1944, serving in the [[Second World War]], in which he was the first British officer killed on [[Normandy landings|D-Day]]. He also played [[first-class cricket]] for the [[British Army cricket team]].

==Life and military career==
The son of [[George Cocks|George Arthur Cocks]] and his wife, Annie Violet Cocks, he was born in [[British India]] at [[Dharamshala]].<ref name="BOOK">{{cite book |last1=McCrery |first1=Nigel |title=The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War Two |date=2011 |publisher=Pen and Sword |page=372 |volume=2nd volume |isbn=978-1526706980 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RYQwDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> Cocks was educated in England at [[Bedford School]], where he played cricket for the school team.<ref name="BOOK"/> He played [[Minor Counties of English and Welsh cricket|minor counties cricket]] for [[Bedfordshire County Cricket Club|Bedfordshire]] in 1924, making a single appearance in the [[Minor Counties Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28612/Minor_Counties_Championship_Matches.html |title=Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Arthur Cocks |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=24 April 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> After leaving Bedford, he decided on a career in the army and attended the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]].<ref name="BOOK"/> He graduated from Woolwich in January 1925, entering into the [[Royal Engineers]] as a [[Second_lieutenant#United_Kingdom_&_other_Commonwealth_countries|second lieutenant]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33015|date=27 January 1925|page=593}}</ref> He was promoted to the rank of [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] in January 1927.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33243|date=28 January 1927|page=580}}</ref> In May of the same year he made his debut in [[first-class cricket]] for the [[British Army cricket team]] against [[Oxford University Cricket Club|Oxford University]] at [[University_Parks#Cricket_ground|Oxford]], before making a second appearance in June against [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]] at [[Fenner's]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28612/First-Class_Matches.html |title=First-Class Matches played by Arthur Cocks |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=24 April 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He scored 30 runs in his two first-class appearances,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28612/f_Batting_by_Team.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Arthur Cocks |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=24 April 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> while with the ball he bowled a total of 51 wicketless [[over (cricket)|overs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28612/f_Bowling_by_Team.html |title=First-class Bowling For Each Team by Arthur Cocks |publisher=CricketArchive |accessdate=24 April 2019 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

He married Majorie Du Caurroy Chads in 1932 and shortly after served in [[British rule in Burma|British Burma]],<ref name="BOOK"/> where he was stationed at [[Rangoon]]. He returned to England in 1936, where he was promoted to the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in January,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34250|date=28 January 1936|page=603}}</ref> before being seconded to the [[War Office]] as a staff captain in December 1937.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34464|date=17 December 1937|page=7917}}</ref> He relinquished his appointment at the war office in January 1939.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34539|date=27 January 1939|page=606}}</ref> He served in the [[Second World War]] with the Royal Engineers, during which he was promoted to the rank of [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in January 1942,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35433|date=23 January 1942|page=437|supp=y}}</ref> with a further promotion to the rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]].<ref name="BOOK"/> On [[Normandy landings|D-Day]] he landed at [[Sword Beach]] with the 5th Assault Regiment, known as the 'Hobart's Funnies', in the course of which he was killed in action.<ref name="BOOK"/> He was the first British officer to be killed on D-Day.<ref name="BOOK"/> His body was returned to England and buried at St. Peter's Church, [[Frimley]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=11208}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocks, Arthur}}
[[Category:1904 births]]
[[Category:1944 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials in Surrey]]
[[Category:People from Dharamshala]]
[[Category:People educated at Bedford School]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Bedfordshire cricketers]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]]
[[Category:Royal Engineers officers]]
[[Category:British Army cricketers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel killed in World War II]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]

Arthur Cocks (cricketer) - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.