The last of them: World War Two veteran Benjamin Boocock is laid to rest in Leeds

The last survivor of a WW2 artillery regiment was laid to rest in Leeds today after his death at the age of 98.

Benjamin Boocock, from Bramhope, served with the Royal Regiment of Artillery's West Riding Gunners from 1939 until 1946, seeing action in Iceland, Nigeria, Burma and India and rising to the rank of sergeant. He was the last man from his unit still alive, and was buried today at St John's Church in Adel with military honours and in front of current and retired service personnel. His coffin was borne on a field gun carriage towed by an army jeep. In 2017, Mr Boocock had contacted 269 (West Riding) Battery of the Royal Artillery to ask them to take possession of his war diaries after his death. The veteran had ensured his former comrades had all been buried with the Union Jack when they died and hoped for the same honour himself. Mr Boocock was one of Leeds' last remaining WW2 veterans and he attended the Remembrance Sunday parade in November 2018. He is survived by his wife Audrey, with whom he had three children. He worked as a master tailor after the war.

Benjamin Boocock's funeralplaceholder image
Benjamin Boocock's funeral
Military re-enactors supplied a WW2-era field gun carriage similar to the ones used by Benjamin's regimentplaceholder image
Military re-enactors supplied a WW2-era field gun carriage similar to the ones used by Benjamin's regiment
Benjamin's widow, Audrey, arrives at the serviceplaceholder image
Benjamin's widow, Audrey, arrives at the service
Military pall-bearers carried the coffin into St John's Church in Adelplaceholder image
Military pall-bearers carried the coffin into St John's Church in Adel
Related topics:
Celebrating 135 years of telling Leeds' stories
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice