Michael Stackpole Coxon

[Guest Carolrich]

For a year, CSM Association (www.csmassociation.com) has been researching the 70 names on the Roll of Honour of Camborne School of Mines (CSM). One name remains a mystery;

Michael Stackpole Coxon was born 31 May 1883, attended Tunbridge School and enrolled as a student at CSM in 1903. His hand-written record gives his parent’s address as 155 Sloan St London. In 1909, the CSM Magazine ‘Old Student’s Column listed the address for Coxon M.S. as Batu Gajah Perak FMS (Malaysia).

He was a Mining Engineer by profession.

He was part of a large, wealthy Catholic family. His father was Lieut.-Colonel George Stackpole Coxon who had been Private Secretary to the second Duke of Wellington, George twice married: in 1854 to Jennie, and in 1876 to Louisa Coke. Michael's uncle, Atwell was appointed consul at Hong Kong by Leopold II of Belgium in 1879. Michael's [half ?] brothers were George Lionel Stackpole Stewart Coxon, Ernest James de Venille Coxon , Lt- Commander Stanley William Coxon (third son) and Atwell J. Coxon. Both his parents (George and Louisa) pre-deceased him. His grandfather owned Flesk Priory in Ireland.

Michael married in 1916 in Newton Abbot, Devon (MICHAEL A P STACKPOLE-COXON) and is listed in 'Tonbridge School and the Great War' as follows;

1897 f.h. Coxon, Gnr. M.S.,Australian F.A.:Gnr 43rd Bty. Austal. F.A.:served in France

He is listed on the CSM War Memorial (regiment unknown) may have been killed in Action in France in 1916. Many of the CSM students served in tunneling companies. He may have had a cousin (Patrick Michael Coxon) who served in the AIF and died in 1925 in Ballarat, Queensland. However, Michael is not listed on the Commonwealth War Grave records, and there appears to be no memorial or trace of his military record anywhere (including the Australian National Archives).

It is strange that there is no trace of his ever being part of a regiment or of his possible death in France aged around 33.

Can anyone help?

[paul_adam]

The Tonbridge School Register details:

Ferox Hall (house) 1893/7. Youngest son of George Stackpole Coxon. b1883. Afterwards at the Camborne School of Mines; for some time a mining engineer in S Africa. Inspector of Mines in the Malay States 1909/11 when he was invalided to England; subsequently went to Australia and served in France with the Australian F.A. in 1914. No later information.

More interestingly I found this from that well known publication The Hastings and St Leonard Observer dated 9 December 1916. Possible he went to St Leonards before Tonbridge? The ANZAC reference seems to make it worth digging further

Paul

[sotonmate]

Carol

Some puzzle ! The news cutting states he was awarded the VC. Ancestry UK has a list of VC winners in it's Military section and he doesn't appear,at least in that name or derivatives,including hyphenated Stackpole-Coxon. I too looked around the AWM /NAA site,quite a few Coxon,some UK originating,but no name matches.