Major John Pickard Becher was born in Southwell, Nottinghamshire on the 20th July 1880. He was the son of the late John Henry and Alice Mary Becher, (nee Pickard) and the husband of G. Veronica Becher, of The Elms, Southwell, Nottinghamshire. He was educated at Malvern Links and abroad.  

He served his articles with Mr H.F.V. Faulkner Solicitor of Louth and became a partner in the firm Messrs Earkerr and Huskinson, solicitors of Newark, the head of which is Colonel C J Huskinson who holds a staff appointment in France at the present time. William officiated as Clerk to the County Magistrates at Newark, succeeding the late Mr E S Faulkner in that office.  

On the 1st November 1906, John commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, Sherwood Foresters. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 15th July 1907 and then Lieutenant of the 1/8th Battalion in 1908. John was then promoted to Captain on the 9th May 1910 and Major on the 18th February 1915. He landed in France in February 1915 and received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous gallantry and good service on several occasions. He was the first Territorial Officer of the Regiment to be awarded the D.S.O. 

On 4th April 1915, at Kemmel, when part of his trench was blown in, under heavy fire, John personally assisted in repairing the parapet and digging out buried men.  On 15th June, at Kemmel, when part of his trench was blown in by mines, shells and trench mortars, he displayed great gallantry and coolness in reorganising the defence. On 30th July, and subsequent days at Ypres, he displayed great coolness, cheerfulness and resource under trying circumstances, when in temporary command of a Battalion. 

John filed a report of the attack by the enemy on positions held by the 7th and 8th Battalions on the 30th August 1915. He was dangerously wounded on the 15th October 1915 at the Hohenzollern Redoubt, laying on the field of battle for 48 hours before he could be brought in. He was only 30 yds from the German trenches and had crawled into shelter. He was brought in at No 3 Red Cross Hospital in France due to septic poisoning of the wounds. He underwent several operations but sadly died on the 1st January 1916. He sadly died alongside his two brothers-in-law, Captain H B S Handford and 2nd Lieutenant E F S Handford who also lost their lives on the same day in the charge on Hohenzollern Redoubt.