Died Home on Friday, 12th July 1918, age 30.
Buried in Grave B. "C." 292. at Tipton Cemetery, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
Labour Corps, 48th Company.
Formerly 46189 9th Infantry Labour Company, Lincolnshire Regiment.
Husband of Mrs Mary Cox, of 36 Havacre Lane, Coseley, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Bilston, Resident: Coseley.
First landed France & Flanders, 29th March 1917.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives survived and transcribed.
Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because he was born in Tipton.
Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: Not Yet Commemorated by CWGC.
Birth of Arthur Cox registered September quarter 1887 in Dudley.
1901 Census
216 Horseley Heath, Tipton, Staffs.
Charles Cox (47, Colliery Engine WInder, born Tipton), his wife Priscilla (47, Shop Keeper - Grocery - own account, born Tipton), and their 2 children: Fanny (20, born Tipton) and Arthur (13, born Tipton).
1911 Census
216 Horseley Heath, Tipton, Staffs.
Charles Cox (56, Engine Winder Colliery - above ground, born Tipton), his wife Priscilla (56, born Tipton), their son: Arthur (23, Insurance Collector, born Tipton), their son-in-law: David Doughty (33, Crane Driver at Bridge & Girder Works, born Tipton), their daughter: Fanny Doughty (30, born Tipton) and their grandson: Horace Victor Doughty (4, born Tipton).
Marriage of Arthur Cox and Mary Griffiths registered September quarter 1915 in Dudley.
Arthur attested on 12th December 1915 under the Derby Scheme, whereby a man become a Reservist and agreed to be called up according to a rota based on age and marital status. Arthur was subject to a medical on 20th July 1916, and was found to be 28 years and 360 days old, weighed 122 pounds with a 33½-inch chest. He had brown eyes, light-brown hair and a fresh complexion. He was an Insurance Agent, and lived at 36 Havacre Road, Coseley, with his wife Mary (nee Gittins); they had married on 29th July 1915.
He was mobilised on 13th March 1917 and being deemed most suited for labour duties, on 20th March 1917 became Private 46189, 9th Infantry Labour Company, Lincolnshire Regiment. Training was of little importance for men employed as labour, and just 9 days later, on 29th March, Arthur landed in France. A major re-organisation of military labour was carried out in April 1917 (Army Council Instruction 611, 13 April 1917); existing regimental labour battalions such as Arthur's were transferred wholesale into the Labour Corps. On 14th May 1917, his unit became the 48th Company, Labour Corps, and Arthur was given a new service number of 28333.
Arthur was seriously wounded on 19th August 1917 (for detail, see 'Action' below), and in September was evacuated back to England. He was posted to the Northern Command, Labour Company, this was an administrative transfer as he needed to be on some roll for 'pay and rations'. He would have been in hospital.
Arthur was awarded his 'Silver War Badge' on 14th January 1918; this was worn on the lapel to show that he had been discharged from active service. This confirmed that he had enlisted on 12th December 1915 and was discharged on 14th January 1918. The reason for his discharge was "wounds". and was authorised by King George's Hospital, Stamford Street, London.
As Arthur died after being discharged from the army, his pay and allowances had been settled before his death. His widow, Mary, was still entitled to his War Gratuity which amounted to £3/0/0d (3 pounds exactly) and was paid in June 1921. By this time. Mary was Mrs Mary Bona, having married Alexander Bona in March quarter 1921. The value of the War Gratuity suggests that Arthur enlisted in the 12 months prior to his death.
On his discharge from the army, Arthur was granted a pension of £1/7/6d (1 pound, 7 shillings and 6 pence) per week. On his death, this pension was converted to a Widow's Pension for Mary of 13/9d (13 shillings and 9 pence) per week; a pension grant of £5/0/0d (5 pounds exactly) was also paid to Mary in November 1918. Upon her re-marriage in 1921, Mary's widow's pension would stop, but this would have been compensated by a one-off payment, typically around a year's worth of pension payments.
The 48th Company of the Labour Corps suffered less than 20 men killed during their existence from May 1917 until the end of the war. There are 13 of these men buried in a single row in Outtersteene Communal Cemetery, 10 killed on 18th August 1917, 2 on the 19th and 1 on the 20th. With this concentration, it is clear that there was a catastrophic event involving the 48th Company around that date.
The 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station was located adjacent to Outtersteene; in their War Diary air raids are a common theme in the narrative. A further clue is the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal to C.S.M. Percy Warren of the 48th Labour Corps around that time "His company's camp was heavily bombed by enemy aircraft, and heavy casualties resulted. He maintained order from the moment of the first explosion, saw to the collection of the wounded, and personally rendered first aid while the bombs were still dropping." A hand-written note says "Hazebrouck, 18th August 1917"; this is about 6 miles from Outtersteene so is feasible.
As Arthur Cox's Service Papers record him being wounded on the 19th August 1917, it is a reasonable assumption that he was wounded in the 48th Company Camp by bombs dropped from a German aircraft. Dates are not always recorded accurately, it is a strong possibility that the catastrophic incident was on the 18th, and Arthur wounded on that date.
It was over 3 weeks later, on 13th September, when Arthur was admitted to the King George Hospital, Stamford Street, London. This suggests that in the early days he was considered too dangerously ill to travel back to England. The 'disease' was recorded as "GSW Head and Left Leg. Left hemiplegia. (GSW - Gun Shot Wound - includes wounds from bombs; hemiplegia is paralysis of one side).
A Medical Report by King George's Hospital, dated 22nd November 1917, stated: “Wounded by shell over right parietal region of skull which was fractured and unconscious. Trephined same day (Editor: hole bored in skull) and foreign body removed a depth of 2 inches in the brain, damaged brain tissue washed away. A flesh wound over left thigh also cleaned and excised. Left hemiplegia followed. When admitted here, the head wound had healed but weakness of left arm and leg persisted. Given massage and electricity.”
A Medical Board on 18th December determined that his disability was 100% at present, and was permanent. He was discharged from the army with effect from 2nd January 1918, and was in immediate receipt of a pension.
Arthur died at home, 36 Havacre Lane, Coseley, on 12th July 1918. His death certificate gives the cause of death as: 1.) Shrapnel wound in head 2.) Epilepsy. Arthur was buried in Tipton Cemetery.
None.