Cyril Wilson Cox

November 26, 2013Army, Commemorated name/s, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Sommeadmin

Cyril Wilson Cox
Private 3148
1^st/4^th Royal Berkshire Regiment

Division 66
Extension

Cyril Wilson Cox lived with his mother at 3. Prince of Wales Avenue, Reading. He had been born in Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire and was educated at Newbury Grammar School. Before the war Cyril Cox worked for Messes. Nicholas Estate Agents, Station Road, Reading. We are told that his colleagues held him in high esteem.

He enlisted on 4^th October 1914 and was killed in action seventeen months later on 14^th August 1916. He is named on the kerbs of the family grave and commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, Pier and Face 11D, having no known grave.

The following is a description from the official history of the action in which Cyril Cox lost his life:

Around the time of his death his battalion was stationed near to the 5^th battalion Royal Berkshire Regt., who on the night of the 12^th August 1916 took the enemy by surprise and seized “Ridge Trench” on the crest of a hill which was part of the Thiepval ridge. On the morning of the 13^th August the 5^th Battalion were relieved by the 4^th Oxfords with the 1^st/4^th’s in support. At 9.30p.m. the Oxfords gave notice that the Germans were trying to bomb them out of the trench. Two platoons from the Berkshire battalion, numbers1 and 2, were sent forward to supply the Oxfords with bombs. “D” company was put under the command of the Oxfords Colonel with a further supply of bombs. The Oxfords were due to lead a counter attack but it was the 1^st/4^th’s who were eventually given the command to lead. In a manner typical in the chaos of the war, a barrage planned for before the attack did not take place and later, without detailed orders, the Berkshire men tried to cross the 250 yards of open ground facing the Germans. The Germans, relatively safe and protected in their trenches, were able to shoot unhindered on the advancing lines of men. The image is one frequently painted during the Great War. For the survivors of the attack, shelter was poor but fortunately a British aeroplane responded to signal flares and as a result British artillery opened up on the German trenches and the remaining Berkshire men were able to get to safety. Losses for this flawed action were very high, 140 casualties from the ranks including 59 killed and missing. Petre in his history of the regiment, comments in his account that, “Failure is often more heroic than success, and these loyal men fought and died with great honour”.

The Reading Standard 23^rd September 1916 published an extract of a letter sent by a friend to his mother about his death.

“ It is my sad duty to inform you that Cyril’s death occurred on the morning of August 14^th when our company attacked. Almost immediately he was wounded by a bullet which affected his spine and paralysed him from the waist downwards. He lived about two hours and was able to have the wound dressed. From the first I think he knew his end had come. He passed away repeating his prayers. Words fail to express what I feel about his death. It seems hard that a life of such promise should have ended so suddenly, but his destiny as well as ours is in the best hands.”

J J Cox and David J Cox

November 26, 2013Army, Loos, Other Regiments, Registered War Grave, Royal Berkshire Regimentadmin

J.J. Cox
Private 35577
4^th Battalion Yorkshire Regt

J. J. Cox was the brother of David Cox, of 273, Oxford Road, Reading. He is buried in a registered war grave, number 16584, and commemorated on the kerbstones that surround it. This grave has sunk somewhat and J. J. Cox is also remembered on a special memorial in the War Plot. The author has been unable to find any information about his war service or from what he died. He was aged 20.

David J Cox
Private 17272
8th Royal Berkshire Regiment.

David Cox is commemorated on his brothers grave. He was killed in action on the 25^th September 1915, the first day of the battle of Loos. His body was never identified and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial to the Missing, Panel 93 -95. He was aged 26.

The author believes that the brothers were the sons of James and Mary Emily Cox who at the time of the 1911 census were living at 219 Southampton Street, Reading. The full name of David being David John, he was the eldest child and J.J. being James Joshua, he was the youngest. There was another brother, Robert and two sisters, Gurtie and Violet. The census form had several odd spellings. The CWGC records for both David and James had no family details.

Arthur Frederick Cude and Albert Stanley Cude

November 26, 2013Army, Commemorated name/s, Dardanelles, Other Regiments, Reading Blue Coat School, Royal Berkshire Regiment, Sommeadmin

Arthur Frederick Cude
Private 2929
1^st/4^th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

Division 21

Arthur Frederick Cude was the son of Mrs. Ellen Cude, of 142, Wilson Road, Reading. He was killed in action on the 16^th May1916, aged 19. It is believed that Arthur Cude lost his life in the attack set out below:

“In May, the 1^st/4^th’s took over “G” sector, an area of unfamiliar and difficult ground near Tourvent farm on the outskirts of Serre. The ground was badly cut up with old trenches and shell holes and littered with bones from the fighting in June 1915. The communications trench was 1½ miles long and in a very poor state. Rations had to be brought up from Hébuterne. The front line was itself a salient which projected towards the strong German defence system around Serre. The line was defended with some difficulty using an arrangement of disconnected outposts. At 12.30 a.m. on the morning of 16^th May a raid took place. The Germans had opened a violent bombardment on another sector around midnight on the left of the 48^th Division. The guns of the 48^th division responded to a false SOS and the Germans, after registering on the division guns, then directed heavy fire at the batteries. Across a frontage of 600 yards two platoons of the 1^st/4^th’s manned seven detached posts. The bombardment lasted half an hour and was directed at the front and supervision lines. At 1 a.m. the bombardment shifted to the support and reserve trenches with shells falling at a rate of a hundred per minute. “B” company in their outposts were over powered and half a supporting platoon of “A” company were destroyed in the bombardment. When the Germans finally made their attack the outposts were in such disarray that they managed to get in behind and attack the Berkshires from the rear. The attack, continued by German infantry until 1.40a.m. along different parts of the salient, and the bombardment went on all night until it stopped at dawn. Losses numbered 98, 18 killed and 29 missing, later most were reported as prisoners of war. ‘B’ company lost half its fighting strength. This was the first serious test for the 1^st/4^th’s and their endurance, discipline and fighting spirit were praised by the Divisional and Corps Commanders”.

(From Petre Official HistoryVolume III)

Arthur Cude is buried Hebuterne Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Grave location Plot I Row C 4.

Albert Stanley Cude
Corporal 9883
10^th Battalion Hampshire Regiment

Albert Stanley Cude was the son of Mrs. Ellen Cude, of 142, Wilson Road, Reading. He died of wounds on 12^th August 1915, aged 20. Albert Cude is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey. Panels 125-134 or 223-226, 228-229 7 328.

The Helles Memorial stand on the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. It takes the form of an obelisk over 30 meters high that can be seen by shipping passing through the Dardanelles. It carries over 20,000 names of those who died during the Gallipoli campaign whose graves are unknown or who were lost or buried at sea in Gallipoli waters.

The British had successfully landed at Sulva Bay on the 6^th August 1915, ready to attack with the Anzac force. In the very hot weather an attack took place the following day and further attacks took place over the following five days with very heavy losses. It is not known how Albert Cude was wounded or whether he died of wounds and his body was lost, or he was buried and his grave lost, or if he died whilst being evacuated and was buried at sea.

The brothers are commemorated on the grave of their parents in the Old Reading Cemetery. Stanley is remembered on the Blue Coat School Memorial.

War Graves in the Old Reading Cemetery

Great War 1914 – 1918

Cyril Wilson Cox

J J Cox and David J Cox

Arthur Frederick Cude and Albert Stanley Cude