Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Waipawa Memorial
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Cox Brothers - Waipukurau Memorial
On the Waipukurau Memorial the name of Private George Turnley Cox is inscribed. He died of his wounds on 14 May 1915 aboard the 'Guildford Castle' on route to Alexandria from Gallipoli at the age of only 20 years. George was one of the six sons of Edward and Louisa Cox of Wanganui who served overseas in World War One (WW1). For the majority of us having one son go to fight in a war is unthinkable. Having six sons embark for war is unimaginable. For Louisa and Edward Cox WW1 was surely a time of fear and hope, fear that a son may not return and hope that they would all come through unscathed. But as we know today that was not likely to be the case in this war.
George was the first of his brothers to enlist doing so on 14 August 1914 (his brother Edward enlisted 3 days later). Before enlisting he had been a clerk for the Loan and Mercantile company in Waipukurau. At enlistment he stated his year of birth as 1894 when in fact he was born in 1895 making him underage for overseas service. Nevertheless he embarked on 16 October 1914 with the Wellington Infantry Regiment as part of the Main Body. At Gallipoli he described the fighting as "desperate" and on 9 May 1915 he was fatally wounded with a gunshot wound to the neck. He died aboard the hospital ship 'Guildford Castle' and was buried at sea and is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial.
His brother Edward Percy Cox, who was nine years his senior, kept a diary of his time spent at Gallipoli which has been transcribed onto the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, (NZETC). In his diary is an entry which refers to George's wounding.
George was the first of his brothers to enlist doing so on 14 August 1914 (his brother Edward enlisted 3 days later). Before enlisting he had been a clerk for the Loan and Mercantile company in Waipukurau. At enlistment he stated his year of birth as 1894 when in fact he was born in 1895 making him underage for overseas service. Nevertheless he embarked on 16 October 1914 with the Wellington Infantry Regiment as part of the Main Body. At Gallipoli he described the fighting as "desperate" and on 9 May 1915 he was fatally wounded with a gunshot wound to the neck. He died aboard the hospital ship 'Guildford Castle' and was buried at sea and is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial.
His brother Edward Percy Cox, who was nine years his senior, kept a diary of his time spent at Gallipoli which has been transcribed onto the New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, (NZETC). In his diary is an entry which refers to George's wounding.
"My brother George was severely wounded Sunday morning in the trenches & unfortunately it was not possible to get him out to the rear until this evening after dark. He was however given first aid & cared for in the trenches as far as possible. The poor boy does not even recognise me. This evening and the medical officer has grave fears for his recovery. The bullet entered the base of his neck and appears to have injured the spinal column. Everything possible is being done for him by Capt Home at our regimental unit post and I do hope that he will rally sufficiently to speak to me before going off to the hospital ship."
'Gallipoli Diary' Edward Percy Cox - 'The New Zealand Electronic Text Collection' http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly /tei-CoxDiar-t1-body-d8.html
Edward did not learn of his brother's eventual death until 8 June 1915.
Edward Percy Cox enlisted in Hawera on 17 August 1914 where he was employed as a Commission Agent. Before enlisting he served with the Taranaki Rifles as a territorial and had reached the rank of Captain. Like his brother he left with the Wellington Infantry Battalion on 16 October 1914. In the Dardenelles he was promoted to Major and as mentioned kept a diary in Gallipoli which gives a first hand account of the Gallipoli campaign. (http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly /tei-CoxDiar-t1-body-d8.html ) Edward was severely wounded on 15 August 1915 and was eventually invalided back to New Zealand returning on the Arawa on 16 March 1916 and was discharged from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 6 May 1916. After his discharge he served on the Government Military Board for the remainder of the war and then after the war he served on the Hawera Peace Memorial Committee. Despite only being in action a few months Edward Cox distinguished himself and was twice Mentioned in Despatches:
MID 28.1.1916 L.G. p1210
In connection with the operation described in General Ian Hamilton's despatch dated 11.12.1915.
MID 13.7.16 L.G. p6959
For distinguished and gallant services tendered during the period of General Sir C. Munro's command of the Mediterranean Force.
In the meantime a third son Mervyn Francis Cox had enlisted and embarked with the 4th reinforcements, Wellington Mounted Rifles on 17 April 1915. Tragically he was killed in action on 27 August 1915 at Anzac Cove. Initially reported missing he was confirmed killed in action on 23 January 1916, he was 23 years old. He is remembered on the Hill 60 (New Zealand) Memorial, Hill 60 Cemetery, Turkey.
For Edward and Louisa Cox the Gallipoli Campaign had been wrought with heartache and grief. Within the space of three short months two sons had died and another was badly wounded. With three more sons at home and in camp they must have been praying for a rapid end to the war.
Norman Davidson Cox was the third son of Edward and Louisa Cox being employed as a bookseller for H.J. Jones & Son Ltd in Wanganui. Norman enlisted on 4 November 1916 embarking with the 32nd reinforcements, New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 21 November 1917. Norman had been a member of the Territorials before the war and his rank during WW1 was that of 2nd Lieutenant. He was killed in action late in the war on 31 August 1918 at Bapaume, France and is buried at the Grevillers British Cemetery.
When news of Norman's death reached Edward and Louisa it must have been devastating and made worse by the fact that their sixth son Leslie Stuart Cox, who had recently embarked aged 20, had been wounded on 30 August 1918. How they coped with so much grief is beyond my imagination.
After he was wounded Leslie Cox was sent back to England to recover and luckily never went back to the front embarking for New Zealand on 2 December 1918. Leslie Cox died in 1945, aged 48.
Cecil Turnley Cox was Edward and Louisa's eldest son and he served throughout the war as a Ship's Quartermaster on the Transport ships Tahiti and Maunganui. He embarked first on the Tahiti carrying the 7th reinforcements and continued to sail until the end of the war being discharged in January 1919.
Edward and Louisa must have been afraid that the war would linger on until their last son Harry, who in 1918 was approaching the age of eighteen, would be old enough to enlist. When the war finally came to a close in November 1918 the Cox family must have felt both elation and great sadness. Their family had certainly "done their bit" as three sons had given their lives and two had been wounded with only Cecil coming through the war physically unscathed. The toll on the entire family must have been immense.
All three Cox brothers who gave their lives in WW1 are remembered on the Wanganui Memorial.
Sources: Papers Past, National Library, WellingtonNZETC, Centotaphy database, Auckland War Memorial Museum, DIA govt historic births, deaths and marriages, Archway, National Archives, Wellington.
Edward Percy Cox enlisted in Hawera on 17 August 1914 where he was employed as a Commission Agent. Before enlisting he served with the Taranaki Rifles as a territorial and had reached the rank of Captain. Like his brother he left with the Wellington Infantry Battalion on 16 October 1914. In the Dardenelles he was promoted to Major and as mentioned kept a diary in Gallipoli which gives a first hand account of the Gallipoli campaign. (http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly /tei-CoxDiar-t1-body-d8.html ) Edward was severely wounded on 15 August 1915 and was eventually invalided back to New Zealand returning on the Arawa on 16 March 1916 and was discharged from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 6 May 1916. After his discharge he served on the Government Military Board for the remainder of the war and then after the war he served on the Hawera Peace Memorial Committee. Despite only being in action a few months Edward Cox distinguished himself and was twice Mentioned in Despatches:
MID 28.1.1916 L.G. p1210
In connection with the operation described in General Ian Hamilton's despatch dated 11.12.1915.
MID 13.7.16 L.G. p6959
For distinguished and gallant services tendered during the period of General Sir C. Munro's command of the Mediterranean Force.
In the meantime a third son Mervyn Francis Cox had enlisted and embarked with the 4th reinforcements, Wellington Mounted Rifles on 17 April 1915. Tragically he was killed in action on 27 August 1915 at Anzac Cove. Initially reported missing he was confirmed killed in action on 23 January 1916, he was 23 years old. He is remembered on the Hill 60 (New Zealand) Memorial, Hill 60 Cemetery, Turkey.
For Edward and Louisa Cox the Gallipoli Campaign had been wrought with heartache and grief. Within the space of three short months two sons had died and another was badly wounded. With three more sons at home and in camp they must have been praying for a rapid end to the war.
Norman Davidson Cox was the third son of Edward and Louisa Cox being employed as a bookseller for H.J. Jones & Son Ltd in Wanganui. Norman enlisted on 4 November 1916 embarking with the 32nd reinforcements, New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 21 November 1917. Norman had been a member of the Territorials before the war and his rank during WW1 was that of 2nd Lieutenant. He was killed in action late in the war on 31 August 1918 at Bapaume, France and is buried at the Grevillers British Cemetery.
When news of Norman's death reached Edward and Louisa it must have been devastating and made worse by the fact that their sixth son Leslie Stuart Cox, who had recently embarked aged 20, had been wounded on 30 August 1918. How they coped with so much grief is beyond my imagination.
After he was wounded Leslie Cox was sent back to England to recover and luckily never went back to the front embarking for New Zealand on 2 December 1918. Leslie Cox died in 1945, aged 48.
Cecil Turnley Cox was Edward and Louisa's eldest son and he served throughout the war as a Ship's Quartermaster on the Transport ships Tahiti and Maunganui. He embarked first on the Tahiti carrying the 7th reinforcements and continued to sail until the end of the war being discharged in January 1919.
Edward and Louisa must have been afraid that the war would linger on until their last son Harry, who in 1918 was approaching the age of eighteen, would be old enough to enlist. When the war finally came to a close in November 1918 the Cox family must have felt both elation and great sadness. Their family had certainly "done their bit" as three sons had given their lives and two had been wounded with only Cecil coming through the war physically unscathed. The toll on the entire family must have been immense.
All three Cox brothers who gave their lives in WW1 are remembered on the Wanganui Memorial.
Sources: Papers Past, National Library, WellingtonNZETC, Centotaphy database, Auckland War Memorial Museum, DIA govt historic births, deaths and marriages, Archway, National Archives, Wellington.
Friday, October 12, 2012
12 October 1917 - Passchendaele
In Flanders Fields
John McCrae
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Field.
Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele
Canterbury Infantry Regiment
Aged 25 years
Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Aged 20 years
Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele
Canterbury Infantry Regiment
Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Aged 21 years
Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Aged 30 years
Above are six of the 846 New Zealand soldiers killed on 12 October 1917 at the 2nd Battle of Passchendaele. The 12 October 1917 is still today New Zealand's blackest day in terms of loss of life. They all have no known graves and are remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Battle of Passchendaele - Commemoration Ceremony
Commemoration Ceremony for the 95th Anniversary of
the Battle of Passchendaele
in the World War 1 Hall of Memories at the Auckland
War Memorial Museum
on Friday 12th October at 11.00am,
with the RNZ
Artillery Band and Auckland Choral.
There will be addresses by Prof
Glyn Harper QSM and LtCol Chris Powell ED.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Bogle Brothers - Waipukurau Memorial
On the memorial at Waipukurau are the names of three brothers Gilbert Vere Bogle, Gordon Kennedy Bogle and George Stafford Bogle who were the sons of James and Annie Bogle. They all attended Napier Boys High School and studied at Victoria College, Wellington and had promising careers before war broke out. Each took a different route to war but sadly their fate was to be the same at the end.
Captain Gilbert Vere Bogle taught at Wellington College from 1905 until 1908 then he went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. On returning to New Zealand he went into partnership with Dr Godfrey in Waipukurau from where he enlisted. On 17 July 1915 he married Margaret Fell and shortly afterwards embarked with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade as a medical officer on 9 October 1915. He served in Egypt and the Western Front. Margaret his wife, travelled with her mother to England to be closer to her new husband. Her father was also a doctor serving in a Military Hospital in England. This is where she was when the news of her husband’s death reached her. Gilbert was killed in action on 17 September 1916 at Flers, France. I have found many reports of his death and of his actions at the dressing station at Flers which no doubt saved many lives. Below is an extract from a letter printed in the Wanganui Chronicle which reports on Gilbert's remarkable devotion to duty which no doubt would have been of some comfort to his family including his wife who had only a few months earlier given birth to their first child, a daughter Belinda.
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16824, 25 November 1916
He actions were Mentioned in Dispatches with his citation below:
London Gazette, 4 January 1917, p262, Rec No 340: For special devotion to duty at Flers on the 15th and 16th September 1916. Captain Bogle, New Zealand Medical Corps (Regimental Medical Officer attached 1st Battalion, 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade), established an aid station near Flers on 15th September and organised dressing and evacuation of wounded of his own and other units, a very large number passing through his station. He worked ceaselessly in the open under continual shellfire for 36 hours without rest or meals until he was killed by a shell five (5) minutes before the Battalion moved out on relief on 16th September. His untiring efforts undoubtedly saved many lives and throughout he displayed an extraordinary devotion to duty. The work done by this officer since the arrival of his Unit in France last April has been exceptionally good. He has always shown great interest in his work and the low sick rate of his Unit is material proof of his excellent work.
Gilbert was the second son of James and Annie Bogle who gave his life in WW1. George Stafford Bogle was a civil engineer who for a time had been employed by the Public Works Department in Whangarei before travelling to Canada to gain more experience. It was while in Quebec he enlisted in September 1914 with the Canadian Engineers. Once reaching the UK he gained a commission with the British Royal Engineers becoming 2nd Lieutenant. He left for Gallipoli with the engineers of the Scottish Division. He died of his wounds at Suvla Bay on 15 October 1915 aged 26 years.
Gordon Kennedy Bogle was an architect before enlisting on 20 September 1915 at Lismore, New South Wales, Australia where he lived. He embarked on 28 March 1916 with the 26th Battalion, 10th Reinforcements. He was killed in action by shellfire at Broodsiende Ridge, Ypres, Belgium on 20 September 1917 exactly two years after he had enlisted. No burial was recorded. He was 28 years old and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial. I found a note in his military record recording his personal effects which were returned to his family. They consisted of his identity discs, wallet, photos, note book and a silver cigarette case. I should imagine these few items remained precious reminders of their son.
For James and Annie Bogle receiving three telegrams telling them of the deaths of their sons must surely have been devastating together with the knowledge that a fourth son 2nd Lieutenant Archibald Hugh Bogle known as Archie was also serving at the Front. Archibald was serving with the New Zealand Engineers. A Civil Engineer before enlisting he served with the NZ Tunnellers, he survived the war returning to his wife, two young children and his grieving parents. After the war Archibald became a successful Civil Engineer and died in 1972 aged 89 years.
Sources: Papers Past, Auckland Museum Cenotaph database, Archway National Archives, National Archives of Australia, Department of Internal Affairs BMD.
Sources: Papers Past, Auckland Museum Cenotaph database, Archway National Archives, National Archives of Australia, Department of Internal Affairs BMD.
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