Captain Minden Francis BADCOCK was born on 18th August 1895, the son of Francis William, of the Indian Civil Service, and Adele Margaret BADCOCK. He attended Cheltenham College between January 1910 and July 1914, and later Brasenose College, Oxford. On the outbreak of war, he volunteered immediately and received a commission into the Gloucestershire Regiment on the 5th April 1915. His Regiment was posted to France in May 1916 and he received a slight wound in action on the 20th June. In October 1916 he was promoted Captain and received the Military Cross on the 17th December 1917 for his part in commanding a raid on enemy trenches. Before the night of the raid, he took out a patrol over the ground and obtained valuable information. When returning, he ran into an enemy post, which he dealt with successfully, bombing them, and bringing the whole of his party back safely. During the raid he shot one of the enemy with his revolver when an attempt was made to bayonet him. He was the last to leave the enemy lines. Finding a mobile charge which had not been used, he returned up the trench and threw it down a dugout. In all, 15 Germans were killed, 4 being captured, together with a machine gun, and several dugouts destroyed. Minden BADCOCK was killed near Rosieres on the 27th March 1918 during the German spring offensive, whilst attached to "C" Company of the 9th East Surrey Regiment. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.
Memorials - Cheltenham Borough Cenotaph & St Luke's Church, Cheltenham.
L'est we forget
