Casualty of the Great War,John was educated at Westward Ho!,Bedford Grammar School, Malvern College, Peterhouse, Cambridge and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.He joined the South Wales Borderers as Second Lieutenant in 1893 and became Lieutenant, Army Corps on September 29th 1895.He married Mary, daughter of the Honourable James Fellows, Agent-General for New Brunswick.She re-married to become Mary Clifton Tabor of 91 Grosvenor House, Park St., London. He was promoted Captain, Army Service Corps on September 20th 1899 and served in South Africa with the 7th Division and subsequently as Deputy Assistant Director of Supplies from 25th August 1900 to 24th January 1901 at Army Headquarters. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, September 10th 1901]; received the Queen's Medal and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette 27th September 1901]He was invested by the King on 29th October 1901.He was promoted to Major on 12th December 1906. He was mentioned in Despatches in May 1915 and became Lieutenant Colonel, Army Service Corps on 30th October 1915. He embarked for service in Egypt on 1st April 1917 aboard the HT "Arcadian" which was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine 41.5 kilometres north east from the island of Milo (Melos),Eastern Mediterranean carrying reinforcements for Egypt. He was Officer Commanding Troops on board. He remained at his post on the bridge until the last and together with the Captain of the vessel sank with the ship. The Captain was saved but Lieutenant Colonel Puckle was lost. Lieutenant Colonel Puckle who was partnered by Captain A Berger won two years in succession the Army Racquets Championship Doubles at Prince's Club and also with the same partner, won the Army Lawn Tennis Championship Doubles. He was a fine billiard player and was a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. He was 48 and the son of the late Colonel Henry Glover Puckle, Madras Staff Corps and Cecilia Emily (nee Tod) Puckle of Worthing, Sussex. The MIKRA MEMORIAL, commemorates almost 500 nurses, officers and men of the Commonwealth forces who died when troop transports and hospital ships were lost in the Mediterranean, and who have no grave but the sea. They are commemorated here because others who went down in the same vessels were washed ashore and identified, and are now buried at Thessalonika.
