ACTING BOMBARDIER G COX Service Number: 81068 Royal Field Artillery 460th Bty

[Arclite01]

Hello

I am researching the soldier below who is my Great Uncle.

I am struggling to find any real detail of 460th Battery RFA. Obviously they were at Gallipoli and I assume he was wounded there and evacuated to Mudros Hospital where I presume he died. I'd be interested to know where 460th were on Gallipoli and where they went next, also any detail on his injury or the circumstances.

I've looked for the War diary but cant find anything.

Of particular interest is that he was a pre-war soldier who re-enlisted under this assumed name (for unknown reasons). His real name was Benjamin Eldred.

ACTING BOMBARDIER G COX
Service Number: 81068
Regiment & Unit/Ship
Royal Field Artillery
460th Bty.
Date of Death: Died 06 June 1915
Buried or commemorated at
EAST MUDROS MILITARY CEMETERY - I. A. 5 - Greece

Thanks

Arc

 

 

 

[mutley]

Looks like they were at V Beach, there is a photo of them here https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/details-photo/460th-battery-royal-field-artillery-at-v-beach-at-gallipoli-during-world-war-i/MEV-10297426

He also gets a mention in the 29th Divisional Artillery War record and honours book, stating that he died of wounds.

Mutley

Edited 30 June , 2022 by mutley

[Arclite01]

Thanks Mutley - I've seen the picture but that is all we have....................

Do you have a link to 29th Divisional Artillery War record and honours book that you mention as that is a new source to me...........

Thanks

Arc

[Matlock1418]

22 minutes ago, Arclite01 said:

he was a pre-war soldier who re-enlisted under this assumed name (for unknown reasons)

May perhaps have wished to go to another unit and not back to his old one. ??

Or perhaps he had 'history' of some sort that he wished to avoid resurfacing ??

Or wanted to hide from somebody ??

Or ?????

Always interesting to speculate and explore.

M

[Arclite01]

Actually Mutley I just found it on Amazon...................

Thanks

Arc

[Arclite01]

Well the family story was that he was in the RHA pre-war and struck an officer who hit a horse he cared for and was dishonourably discharged.

We also have a story that he liked a drink and a fight - so that also may be a reason for being discharged................

It would explain why he re-enlisted under this false name. Which family legend had us believe was 'unknown' and he had died at Gallipoli

We have his family pension claim/pension record which has a pencil entry on it - and says 'served as George Cox' (assumed name mystery solved !!)

Great story................

His brother served as 8116 Pte James Eldred 11th Bn Royal Fusilers and is buried in Varennes (France)

 

Arc

[Matlock1418]

36 minutes ago, Arclite01 said:

We have his family pension claim/pension record which has a pencil entry on it - and says 'served as George Cox' (assumed name mystery solved !!)

36 minutes ago, Arclite01 said:

His brother served as 8116 Pte James Eldred 11th Bn Royal Fusilers and is buried in Varennes (France)

Yes, WFA/Fold3 have several pension cards with both of his names and also that of his brother, James.

Glad you found Benjamin ELDRED as that George COX marker stone "Buried near this spot" "Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out" - wonder who specified that inscription??

You do know that you can usually at CWGC get Benjamin ELDRED commemorated and named [true name] with George COX [alias] should you wish - they create two commemoration entries.  There is no absolute need to do so as he served as George COX but in my opinion a link between his names is nice. And I think that such linking is valuable for future researchers. 

You can usually also get recognition of the brothers on each other's commemoration should you wish - along the lines of "His brother X XXXX also fell" - and perhaps duplicate parental details added.  Again fantastic for future researchers.

It's much harder to get the name on a marker stone changed - but often not impossible, should you wish.  And it wouldn't be a swift process.

Should you wish - With your evidence just ask CWGC via e-mail enquiries @ cwgc.org [remove the spaces from either side of the @]

The War Graves Photographic Project have G. COX's marker stone photo https://www.twgpp.org/photograph/view/3862494

Find a Grave have James ELDRED's headstone photo https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15989146/j-w-eldred

M

Edited 30 June , 2022 by Matlock1418
add

[David Porter]

39 minutes ago, Arclite01 said:

Well the family story was that he was in the RHA pre-war

If you subscribe to Findmypast, there is a service record for a Benjamin Eldred born 1889 in Middlesex, enlisting in 1907 and numbered 46320.
The new number of 81068 was issued at No. 4 Depot RFA, Woolwich around August 15, 1914.
460th Battery was part of 147th Brigade RFA whilst at Gallipoli. But it served as a stand alone Howitzer in a separate group.
War Diaries for 29th Divisional Artillery available on Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60380/

[Arclite01]

Matlock 

Thanks for all that information. moves us forward a few feet at a time (like a creeping barrage !)

With regard to that inscription I have often wondered, since inscriptions had to be paid for (6d a letter), but I have found that multiple stones in that cemetery have that inscription so I wonder if the IWGC (as it then was) or the Regiment themselves specified it as a generic inscription or maybe paid for it ?

We are visiting James Eldred at Varennes soon, also Thiepval where we have a family casualty from 1st July 1916 and also some others from 12th Royal Fusiliers to whom we have a family connection near Cambrai and Ypres (Plugstreet).

Mudros and George Cox are also on our future list. We will combine with the Dawn Service at Gallipoli as we have AUS and NZ connections to commemorate too........

Regards

Arc

2 minutes ago, David Porter said:

If you subscribe to Findmypast, there is a service record for a Benjamin Eldred born 1889 in Middlesex, enlisting in 1907 and numbered 46320.
The new number of 81068 was issued at No. 4 Depot RFA, Woolwich around August 15, 1914.
460th Battery was part of 147th Brigade RFA whilst at Gallipoli. But it served as a stand alone Howitzer in a separate group.
War Diaries for 29th Divisional Artillery available on Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/60380/

Thanks so much for this info.

[Arclite01]

David Porter thanks so much we are on to it now.............

Regards

Arc

[Michelle Young]

Buried Near This Spot and Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out are standard commission phrases. The latter I think attributed to Kipling. 

[alantwo]

Arc

Just to add, Acting Bombardier Cox is listed as died of wounds in The Times newspaper dated 7/7/15, page 13.

Alan

[Arclite01]

Thanks everyone..............

[Matlock1418]

On 30/06/2022 at 17:32, Michelle Young said:

Buried Near This Spot and Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out are standard commission phrases.

One of the hazards of incompletely tweaking a post when further info came to light and later editing - the "Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out" 'personal inscription' had originally caught my eye.

Yes, had later recognised the "Buried Near This Spot" on a marker was standard commission.

But had missed that "Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out" was thus similarly theirs in such situations. 

I suppose a sort of compensation that they hadn't exactly marked his burial. So nobody was threatened by 3½d. per letter for that second 'personal inscription'! 

Interesting that CWGC still use it as a 'personal inscription' on their web commemoration page for Bdr. G. COX. 

M

Edit:  More than one such marker stone and same Commission inscriptions at East Mudros Military Cemetery around the same period, June 1915

Courtesy of https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7172140 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/626023/clive-napier-cargill  Clive Napier CARGILL, 4/603, New Zealand Engineers = CWGC also use "Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out" as a 'personal inscription' on their web commemoration page - seems to confirm this is their current standard web approach in such situations.

Edited 1 July , 2022 by Matlock1418
typo

[Arclite01]

Makes sense Matlock