John Reginald Hansford Tucker was born in 1887 at Loders, in Bridport, Dorsetshire, the eldest of five known children to John Henry Tucker, a labourer, and Mary Lathey Tucker (formerly Hansford). He was baptised on 26 June, 1887, at Loders Parish Church. His mother had been married before, and widowed, and there was an elder half sister, Rosa Lily Travers (1879). He had two brothers and two sisters: Robert (1880); Herbert (1881); Ellen Emily Mary (1892); and Ethel Sarah Anne (1893).

In 1891 the family were still living at Loders, in Dorsetshire, but by 1901 they were living at 19 Maynard Road, in Rotherhithe, Surrey (London). The two elder brothers, Robert and Herbert were not present, and have not been traced after 1891. In 1901 the father was employed as a general labourer, and the 13-year-old John was employed as a tin presser.

By 1911 the family was living at 51 Reculver Road in Rotherhithe, by which time John, like his father, was a general labourer.

On 22 November, 1914, aged 27, John Reginald Hansford Tucker married Phoebe Pearce at St. Catherine's Church in Rotherhithe. He still lived at 51 Reculver Road and employed as a labourer.

They had one daughter, Hilda Phoebe, born on 12 November, 1915. When she was baptised on 12 December, John was still employed as a labourer, and they lived at 48 Lovelinch Street, off the Old Kent Road. His widow later lived at 46 Nelgarde Road in Catford, Surrey.

John Reginald Hansford Tucker's service record has not survived, and what is known has been extrapolated from other sources.

It appears that he did not enlist until 1916, and did so at Deptford, in Kent, initially joining the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a rifleman, no. 24947. He was posted to the 23rd (Reserve) Battalion, which had been formed in the autumn of 1915, from depot companies of the 18th Battalion in Essex. It moved to Banbury in January, 1916, in the 26th Reserve Brigade.

It moved to Wimbledon in April, 1916, and in the September became the 111th Training Reserve Battalion.

At some point he was transferred to the Lancashire Fusiliers, as a private, no. 20764, and posted to the 9th (Service) Battalion. The 9th Battalion had been formed at Bury in August, 1914, and formed part of the 34th Brigade in the 11th Division. It had arrived in Egypt in July, 1915, and fought at Gallipoli from August. 1915. After withdrawing back to Egypt in January, 1916, before transferring to France in the July.

By virtue of the fact that he did not qualify for the 1914-15 Star Private Tucker did not proceed overseas until 1916 onwards, and was probably in a draft of reinforcements to bring the battalion up to strength after Gallipoli, or after it had landed in France. At some point he was appointed lance corporal, most likely to fill a vacancy due to casualties.

The 9th Battalion began 1917 at Lealvillers in the River Ancre sector, and took over in the front line at Beaucourt. By the end of the month it was in billets at Ribeaucourt. It remained there during February, mainly providing working parties, until the end of the month when it moved to Gézaincourt.

Towards the end of March the battalion moved to Terramesnil where it carried out training, until mid-April when it returned to Lealvillers, and thence to Bapaume

On 23 April the battalion took over the support line at Le Bucquiere from an Australian unit and then moved into the front line at Louverval for 14 days, during which it suffered one officer and 8 other ranks casualties, only one of which was killed.

On 14 May the battalion withdrew to billets at Fremicourt for two days, before moving in stages, via Montauban, Buire and Coq de Paille. It moved into billets at De Zon Camp, near Scherpenberg on 21 May, from where reconnaissance of the front line was carried out.

On 27 May it moved to a new camp between Westoutre and Hensken, where further training was carried out. During the month the battalion received fresh drafts of 2 officers and 55 other ranks.

Training continued until the night of 6/7 June when the battalion moved forward and stood by in readiness to take part in the attack on Wytschaete and Oosttaverne. During this preparation the accidental explosion of a grenade resulted in 10 men being wounded.

At 6.10 pm on 9 June the battalion moved forward, and again on the night of 10/11 June. The battalion was to relieve the assaulting units in the Blue Line and Black, which was delayed whilst the artillery put up an SOS Barrage.

The battalion held its positions between 11-18 June. The Blue Line was not consolidated or made into a fire trench, merely being used as a bivouac, and the two companies holding the line had to move up to the Black Line as supports. The men in the Blue Line were used as working parties and working on communications trenches, between the Mauve line and front line. In case of attack the Black Line had to be held at all costs. The men working on that line worked at night, except for the first two nights when they were consolidating and making fire trenches. The trench, when taken over, was in a very dilapidated condition and not traversed.

During this period the battalion lost 4 other ranks killed, and one officer and 35 other ranks wounded, which included the 10 wounded accidentally. Two were killed on 12 June and two on 17 June. One of the four killed was Lance Corporal Tucker, who died on 17 June, 1917. He was aged 30.

John Reginald Hansford Tucker lies buried in Wytschaete Military Cemetery, in Belgium, but his actual gravesite is unknown, as are the other three. However, they are commemorated by a special memorial, in the form of a CWGC headstone, John Tucker's inscribed 'KNOWN TO BE BURIED / IN THIS CEMETERY', with the addition: 'THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT / BE BLOTTED OUT'.

He is also commemorated in the National Roll of Honour, shown incorrectly as being with the 8th Battalion, whose entry was provided by his parents, who also added: "And doubtless he went in splendid company". His name has not been identified on any local war memorial.

John Reginald Hansford Tucker's service earned him the British War Medal, 1914-20; and Victory Medal, 1914-19.