A Great War 1916 ‘First Day of the Battle of the Somme’ M.M group of seven awarded to Private G. Cox, Royal Fusiliers and Machine Gun Corps, late Royal West Surrey Regiment, who was wounded in action at Auchionvillers the same day, 1 July 1916

Military Medal, G.V.R. (20923 Pte. G. Cox. 86/Coy. M.G.C.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Transvaal, Orange Free State, unofficial rivets between second and third clasps (5945 Pte. G. Cox, Rl. Wt. Surrey Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (5945 Pte. G. Cox. The Queen’s.); 1914-15 Star (12557 Pte. G. Cox, R. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (12557 Pte. G. Cox. R. Fus.); Army L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (20923 Pte. G. Cox. M.G.C.) good very fine or better (7) £1200-1600

M.M. London Gazette 14 December 1916.

George Cox was born in Chelsea, London, in 1880 and attested for the Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) at London on 12 April 1899, whilst serving in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion of the Regiment. Posted to the 2nd Battalion, he sailed for South Africa for service during the Boer War after the rest of the Battalion, having been in hospital, and arrived in Cape Town on 13 June 1900, where he was immediately admitted to hospital. Discharged from hospital on 25 June, he finally re-joined his battalion on 23 August 1900, and was present during operations in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, and in the Transvaal. Posted to the 1st Battalion in early 1902, Cox arrived in India on 11 April 1902, and joined his Battalion at Peshawar. He transferred to the Royal Fusiliers on 4 February 1907, and was posted to the 2nd Battalion at Sialkot.

Following the outbreak of the Great War the Battalion embarked for home on 9 December 1914, and after a couple of months at Nuneaton embarked for the Middle East on 16 March 1915 for service in the Gallipoli theatre of War, landing on ‘X’ beach, Cape Helles, on 25 April 1915. Transferring to the Machine Gun Corps on its formation on 26 February 1916, Cox served with the 86th Company in France from the end of March 1916, and on the eve of the Battle of the Somme the Company was billeted in Auchionvillers.

On 1 July 1916 86th Company Machine Gun Corps was heavily employed during the attack on the Hawthorne Redoubt. Cox was a member of o. 1 Section (4 guns) under Lieutenant K. F. McAlpin. The War Diary gives the following account:
‘At 07:20 a mine was exploded under the Hawthorn Redoubt near point 07 and as soon as the debris had settled four machine guns under Lieutenant McAlpin pushed over the north lip of he crater and set up, with 2 guns firing down the front line of trenches running north, and 2 guns down the trenches running south. These guns were immediately followed by 2 platoons of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, and a team of Stoke Gunners.’

During this action the Company suffered heavy casualties, including Cox, who suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh. Admitted to 12th Stationary Hospital at St. Pol, he was transferred to the 2nd General Hospital at Le Harve on 13 July 1916, and was evacuated to England the same day. He was awarded the Military Medal in December 1916- owing to the fact that his Company had seen very little action in France prior to the Battle of the Somme, and that he was hors de combat from the first day of the battle onwards, it is difficult to believe that his Military Medal was awarded for anything other than his gallant conduct at Auchionvillers on 1 July 1916.

Recovering from his wounds, Cox returned to France on 16 March 1917, and was posted to the 205th Company, Machine Gun Corps. He was awarded his Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal per Army Order 106 of April 1918. Following the cessation of hostilities he served briefly in the 5th Battalion, M.G.C., before transferring to the 32nd Battalion, M.G.C., on 3 June 1919, for service in Germany. Returning home on 12 November 1919 he was posted to the Foreign Service Details Battalion, M.G.C., before taking is discharge on 14 May 1920, after 21 years and 32 days’ service.