Stalbridge Remembers
JACK COX
Private 240655
l/5th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry
Killed in action Friday 23rd November 1917
Aged 21
His grave No. B.70. is in
JERUSALEM WAR CEMETERY, ISRAEL.
Son of Claude and Mary (Kate) Cox, Laurel Bank, Stalbridge.
Personal details:
He is shown on the 1911 Census as Felix John, bom in Stalbridge, and his service records refer to him as John. He had an older sister Adela. His father was a Draper and outfitter whose shop, Felix Cox & Son, was in the High Street. It appears they lived in a large house (probably Manchester House) that accommodated 6 boarders who worked in the shop. On his parents’ grave in Stalbridge his mother is named Kate. Jack enlisted at Taunton. As he did not qualify for the 1914-1915 Star he did not see service in a theatre of war before 1916.
He is shown on the 1911 Census as Felix John, bom in Stalbridge, and his service records refer to him as John. He had an older sister Adela. His father was a Draper and outfitter whose shop, Felix Cox & Son, was in the High Street. It appears they lived in a large house (probably Manchester House) that accommodated 6 boarders who worked in the shop. On his parents’ grave in Stalbridge his mother is named Kate. Jack enlisted at Taunton. As he did not qualify for the 1914-1915 Star he did not see service in a theatre of war before 1916.
Military details:
Originally sent to India, the l/5th Battalion landed in Suez in May 1917 to be attached to 223 Brigade, 75 Division as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Formed in 1916 the Force's role evolved from defence of Egypt to invasion of Palestine. The l/5th took part in the second and third battles of Gaza, followed by the Battle of Mughar Ridge, won on 13th November. Barely pausing to consolidate after this, Commander-in-Chief Sir Edmund Allenby marched eastwards towards Jerusalem, but the advance was slowed by fierce resistance from Turkish and German forces, and he was forced to consolidate before eventually capturing the city on 8th December. The exact circumstances of Jack Cox's death during this advance are not known.
Originally sent to India, the l/5th Battalion landed in Suez in May 1917 to be attached to 223 Brigade, 75 Division as part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Formed in 1916 the Force's role evolved from defence of Egypt to invasion of Palestine. The l/5th took part in the second and third battles of Gaza, followed by the Battle of Mughar Ridge, won on 13th November. Barely pausing to consolidate after this, Commander-in-Chief Sir Edmund Allenby marched eastwards towards Jerusalem, but the advance was slowed by fierce resistance from Turkish and German forces, and he was forced to consolidate before eventually capturing the city on 8th December. The exact circumstances of Jack Cox's death during this advance are not known.
Jack Cox's grave
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Jerusalem War Cemetery
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