Thomas George Stuart-Cox

Memorial: Olveston

Regiment: Gloucestershire Regiment

Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 5293

Parents: Rev. C E and Marion Stuart-Cox

Home address: 16 Highbury Road, Horfield Common, Horfield, Bristol

Date of birth: 1892

Date of death: 23/07/1916

Buried/Commemorated at: Pozières British Cemetery (I. C. 26.), Ovillers La Boisselle, Somme, France

Age: 24

Further information:

Thomas, like his brother Charles, enlisted in Bristol and both were assigned to the 1st/4th or ‘City of Bristol’ Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment. On April the 1st 1915, the Battalion arrived in Boulogne from Folkstone and by August was on the French/Flemish border north west of Albert at Courcelles au Bois. The Battalion kept in this general area north of the Somme moving from front line trenches at Hébuterne to reserve trenches and to bivouacs in Sailly-au-Bois

In July 1916 the battalion was located near the village of Ovillers, between Albert and Thiepval during the opening weeks of the period that became known as the Battles of the Somme. On July 23rd the Battalion attacked the German lines at High Wood behind a barrage of British artillery and mortar fire. The Glosters eventually entered the German trench line but failed to hold all of it, having to make barricades inside the trenches to hold the Germans on the other side. This action and the German counter attacks caused many casualties. The loss of thirty of our men was reported in the war diary for the next day, one of whom was Private Thomas George Stuart-Cox who is buried in the Pozières Cemetery north-east of Albert

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

Forces War Records and CWGC