Ernst-August Bock was a German airman who was fatally injured in August 1940 when his aircraft was brought down by R.A.F. aircraft at Burnham-on-Crouch. He died three days afterwards in hospital in Chelmsford.

Ernst-August was born on 4th August 1915 in Alfeld in Germany.

During the Second World War he served as an Unteroffizier (Corporal) in the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.

On 31st August 1940 Ernst-August was one of four crew on board a Dornier Do 17Z-2 aircraft (number 3264, markings 5K+KM) when it was brought down by Pilot Officer A. Hess of 310 Squadron, Royal Air Force following a bombing raid on Hornchurch Aerodrome.

The Dornier was also attacked by Flying Officer W. P. Clyde of 601 Squadron, Royal Air Force before force-landing near Eastwick Farm, Burnham-on-Crouch at 1.25 p.m. Ernst-August and his three comrades, Oberlt. H. Gahrtz, Gefr. E, Neumann and Oberfw. A. Bulach were captured. Ernst-August was badly injured and was taken to Chelmsford & Essex Hospital where he died three days later.

Ernst-August’s funeral was held at Chelmsford Borough Cemetery on 11th September 1940, with the service conducted by the Rev. W. S. Brownless, Vicar of Moulsham (grave: 5078 B).

In 1942 a Chelmsford newspaper published the photograph left of Ernst-August’s grave (with the smaller cross) and reported that flowers were regularly placed on it by an unknown person. The larger cross denoted the graves of three German airmen killed in an aircraft crash in June 1940. Those men were: Heinz-Georg Corpus, Walter Gross and Walter Vick.  

In 1966 Ernst-August’s grave was removed to the newly formed German Military Cemetery at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire in grave 190 in block 1, row 6.

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