Charles Cox
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Charles was the husband of Rosetta Cox nee Wood whom he had married in Alton register office, Kent, on 23 December 1908. At the time of his marriage Charles was still serving in the East Yorkshire Regiment, from which he was discharged on 14 September 1910 on completion of his engagement (see 'military history'). Charles had at least two siblings, Albert and Rose, both of whom appeared as his next of kin on his service record prior to his marriage in 1908. At the time of these records they were both living in London; Albert's contact address was given as the London British School, Middlesex, while Rose lived in Persham Rye, London SW. Although no details of their parents have yet been traced it would seem that as Charles joined the Army when he was 14 years old and named his siblings as his next of kin that their parents had either died or were no longer providing a family home. By the time of the 1911 Census Charles (28 b. abt 1883) and Rosetta (23 b. Folkestone, Kent), who had been married for two years, were living at 48 Randolph Street, Carlton Road, Nottingham. They had a boarder, Thomas Hampton (19) who worked for Home Brewery. Charles enlisted in the army on 8 August 1914 at the outbreak of war. He was living at 13 Horseshoe Road, Birkby(?), and answered 'no' to the question on the attestation form, 'Married'. His brother, Albert, was initially named as his next of kin but his name was later replaced with that of Rose Cox, his sister. His personal property was returned to his sister, Miss Rose Cox, at 7 Parson's (?Pawson's) Place, Grantham, in December 1916. This was still Rose Cox's address when the plaque and scroll were sent to her in April 1919. The notice of his death placed in the local Nottingham paper over a month after he died in August 1916 gave his address as 79 Bathley Street, Meadows.
Charles joined the East Yorkshire Regiment as a musician on 15 September 1897 (service number 5442). He was 14 years 9 months old. He was discharged on 14 September 1909 on completion of his engagement and attested in the Army Reserve in the rank of Private on 5 February 1910. Territorial Force Attestation. Charles attested on 8 August 1914 when he was 31. He completed the attestation form that he had at one time served in a military unit. On 1 September 1914, less than a month after joining the army, he was promoted corporal and then to acting Sergeant on 28 November 1914; a rank that was confirmed the following year. He embarked from Folkestone (SS Victoria) on 14 April 1915. Later the same year on 8 December he was admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station suffering from trench foot and was probably evacuated to hospital in England as there is a record of him disembarking at Le Havre on 21 December 1915 and rejoining his battalion on 2 January 1916. The same year he twice suffered wounds although these were slight enough for him to remain on duty. On 3 August 1916 he was promoted Acting Company Sergeant Major. He was killed in action two days later having served 1 year 346 days. He is buried in Connaught Cemetery Thiepval (grave ref. III.M.6). He was awarded the Military Medal , which was published in the 'London Gazette,' 1st September 1916.
Nottingham Evening Post notice (abridged), 23 September 1916: ‘Company Sergeant Major Cox, late City Police, 79 Bathley Street, Meadows, killed in action August 5th.’ The addition of Charles Cox to the Roll of Honour was based on the information in the notice of his death in a Nottingham newspaper in September 1916 and the evidence of the 1911 Census that a police constable of the same name was living in Sneinton. The CWGC/military record was linked from the information given in the notice of his death - no other Charles Cox holding the rank of company sergeant major died in August 1916. The age given on the Territorial Attestation Form ties in with the age on the 1911 census and the physical description on his service record describes him as being 6ft tall, a height suitable for his previous occupation as a policeman. No other personal records - birth or earlier census returns - have been found for either Charles or Rossetta. An army form of names of living relatives in his record had not been completed but was annotated ‘duplicate sent to (-)’. The address was largely illegible, the only possible transcription being the first line of the address, '67 (-) Buildings.' The entry for Charles' next of kin on his Territorial Attestation Form (1914 onwards) is largely illegible although the name of his brother, Albert Cox, who may have served as a sergeant in the same regiment, was deleted presumably because Charles updated this information. The second name given was that of the person to whom the duplicate army form for the names of living relatives was sent ie to 67 (-) Buildings; this was probably Rose Cox, his sister. Both Albert and Rose were named as Charles' next of kin when he joined the East Yorkshire Regiment in 1897 as a boy musician.
