COX, Clarence Charles Clem
| Service Number: | 534 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 March 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Aldinga, South Australia, 11 December 1892 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Flinders Street Public School |
| Occupation: | Mason's labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Pozières, France, 4 August 1916, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 534, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 534, 27th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, embarkation_roll: roll_number: 15 embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: |
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| 31 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 534, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 12 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 534, 27th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 534, 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
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Surname: COX; Given Names: Clarence Charles Clem; Date of Birth: 11 December 1892; Date of Enlistment: 1 March 1915; Trade or Calling: Mason's Labourer; Birth Location: Aldinga; Address prior to enlistment: 267 Angas St Adelaide; Photograph sent by: Mrs M E Cox
Source: State Records SA
NAA Service Records: Cox Clarence Charles Clem : SERN 534 : POB Aldinga SA : POE Keswick SA : NOK M Cox Mary Edith
Clarence Charles Clem Cox was already a widower aged just 22 years old when he enlisted in the Army on 1 March 1915. After two months training at Mitcham Camp he embarked with the main body of the Battalion at Port Adelaide on 31 May 1915 aboard the HMAT Geelong, A20, bound for the Middle East. On arrival the Battalion underwent additional training and formed part of the defence of the Suez Canal.
The Battalion embarked for Gallipoli on 4th September 1915 and landed on the 12th September.
Clarence Cox served throughout the campaign and withdrew in December along with the rest of the battalion. He was charged with disobeying orders when back at Mudros prior to embarkation for Alexandria and was awarded 14 days Field punishment No 2. This usually took the form of labouring tasks and performing a range of physical activities wearing full field equipment.
He was diagnosed with bronchitis and was placed on board the Hospital Ship Asturias, but marched back into the unit while it was still in Egypt on 10 February 1916. He embarked for France on 16 March 1916.
The Battalion moved through the “Nursery” sector near Armentieres and then to the Somme via Messines where it fought a sharp action in late June.
The 27th Battalion was committed to the attack on Pozieres as part of its parent Brigade, the 7th, itself part of the 2nd Division. Clarence Cox was one of many to disappear on the Pozieres battlefield on the 4th August when the 27th was on the left flank of the 2nd Division attack which captured the heights above Pozieres, and the historic “Windmill” ruin.
Despite attempts by the Red Cross to ascertain his fate, nothing came to light in the investigation. He may well have shared a fate similar to that of Private Russell George Bosisto, whose remains were discovered near the Windmill 82 years after his death. Clarence Cox is very likely still in the fields near the Windmill, or potentially one of the unidentified bodies recovered in the 1920s.
Awards
1914/15 Star: 22753
British War Medal: 13138
Victory Medal: 13079
Commemorative Plaque: 313563
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