Roll of Honour of Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry

William Arthur COX (1895–1916)

William Arthur Cox was born at 105 Magdalen Road in east Oxford on 19 January 1895, the son of John Evan Cox (born in Banbury in 1861) and Jane Cripps (born in New Hinksey in 1860/1).

Back In 1871 William’s father, John Evan Cox (aged 10) was living in the Oxford Workhouse on the Cowley Road. The 1881 census was taken just before his marriage, and he was then a chimney sweep aged 20 living in the home of his master, Joseph Soden, at 2 Jericho Street.

His future wife Jane Cripps had given birth to a daughter in 1878, nearly two years before her wedding:

• Selina Ann Cripps (born in Berkshire (probably south Oxford) on 16 October 1878 and baptised at St John the Evangelist Church, Lake Street on 18 November 1881. The register described her mother as a spinster, and stated that Selina's surname was “now Cox”.

At the time of the 1881 census Jane (20) was a living as a servant at 10 Beaumont Street, Oxford and her daughter Selina (2) was being cared for by her widowed mother Ann Cripps (49), a laundress who lived in Church Street, South Hinksey.

On 16 May 1881 when Jane's daughter Selina was aged three, John Evan Cox (20) and Jane Cripps (19) were married at South Hinksey Church. They settled in east Oxford, where they had fourteen more children, including William, who were all baptised at Cowley SS Mary & John Church:

• Jane Cox (born in East Oxford in 1883 and baptised on 30 August)
• John Evan Cox (born in East Oxford in 1884; died unbaptised shortly after birth and buried in unconsecrated ground at Cowley SS Mary & John Church on 11 November)
• Florence Edith Cox (born at Magdalen Road, Oxford in 1885 and baptised on 3 September 1885)
• Alice Cox (born at Magdalen Road, Oxford on 13 January 1887 and baptised on 13 February);
  died aged 6 months and buried in the children’s plot in Cowley SS Mary & churchyard on 28 July 1887
• John Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 28 April 1888 and baptised on 12 July)
• Beatrice Rose Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 27 February 1890 and baptised on 3 June)
• Thomas Arthur Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road on 28 January 1891 and baptised on 10 May);
  died aged 16 months, buried in Cowley SS Mary & churchyard on 19 June 1892
• Lucy Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 12 March 1893 and baptised on 6 April)
• William Arthur Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 19 January 1895 and baptised on 17 May)
• Mary Mildred Nellie Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 15 November 1897 and baptised on 18 February 1898); died aged nine months on 31 August 1898 of convulsions and teething enteritis and buried in Cowley SS Mary & churchyard on 3 September xxx
• James Edward Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 25 July 1899 and baptised on 2 November)
• George Henry Cox (born at 105 Magdalen Road, Oxford on 7 October 1901 and baptised on 1 November)
• Mary Elizabeth Cox (born on 20 June 1904 at 105 Magdalen Roadand baptised on 11 March)
• Charles Cox (born on 19 November 1906 at 105 Magdalen Road but not baptised until 19 July 1912,
  when the family was living at 104 Charles Street).

At the time of the 1881 census William's parents were living at 105 Magdalen Road with Selina (12), who had taken William Cox's surname but was not necessarily his child, and their five children Jane (7), Florence (5), John (2), Beatrice (1), and Thomas (two months). John Evan and Alice had already died, and baby Thomas was also to die the next year.

By the time of the 1891 census William's parents were living at 105 Magdalen Road with their six surviving children. William himself was born there in 1895.

In 1901 William (6) was living at 105 Magdalen Road with his parents and his siblings Florence (15), John (13), Beatrice (11), Lucy (8), and James (1). His two eldest sisters had both gone into service as kitchenmaids: Selina (22) was at the Manor House in Hamble le Rice, Hampshire; and Jane (17) was at Boyton Lodge, Esher, Surrey.

By the time of the 1911 census, William (16) had become a chimney sweep like his father, but he was not at home: he spent census night as a patient in the Radcliffe Infirmary. His family had moved to 104 Charles Street, also in East Oxford. Beatrice (21) and Lucy (18) were still living at home and going out to work as domestic servants; Mary (13), James (11), and George (9) were at school; and Charles (4) was the baby. In addition William’s sister Jane (27) was also living with them with her new husband and their baby. William’s parents were also caring for Jane’s earlier illegitimate children: Alice Cox (4) and Frederick Arthur Cox (2), so a total of fourteen people were living in this house, which had six rooms (including the kitchen). William's sister Selina (32) was still single, and working as a cook at Scotch Farm, Wokingham; his sister Florence (25) was married; and his brother John, who had signed up to serve with the Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire) regiment back in 1907, is hard to locate.

By 1916 the family had moved to 23 Quarry High Street. (The three Headington villages were scantily covered in Kelly’s Directory at this time, so the entry for his father reading “Cox John Evan, chimney sweep, 23 High street, Headington Quarry” does not appear until 1926.)

 

In the First World War William Arthur Cox served as a Private in the 1st/4th Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Service No. 4897). He was killed in action in France at the age of 21 on 14 July 1916.

He is buried at the Hébuterne Military Cemetery (I. E. 1). The photograph of his grave (left) was kindly supplied by British War Graves. The inscription reads:

[Emblem of the OBLI]

4897 PRIVATE
W. A. COX
OXFORD & BUCKS. LIGHT INF.
14TH JULY 1916. AGE 21

†

PEACE, PERFECT PEACE

This is one of the 40% of war graves that bears a personal message at the end (for which the family had to pay 3½d per letter).

William Arthur Cox is remembered on the stone plaque in the porch of Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry.