COX, Joseph

Joseph Cox came from 68 Cawney Hill, Dudley, but was living at Shirebrook, Derbyshire, when he enlisted in the Royal Engineers. He was almost certainly a miner because he was assigned to the 185th Tunnelling Company. This was formed in 1915 and was involved in tunnelling at La Boisselle in preparation for the first day of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. The great explosion on the 1st July was one of greatest mines of the war and had taken many weeks to prepare. They were at Vimy Ridge in early 1917 where a series of great mines was being prepared. For the April Battle of Arras the Company was at Neuville St. Vaast preparing tunnels for the troops to use for the start of the battle on the 9th April. Sapper Joseph Cox, however, was seriously wounded on the first day of this attack and died of wounds the next day. He is buried in Lapugnoy Military Cemetery (III G 3) and commemorated on the Dudley Memorial. He is also commemorated as a member of the 185th Tunnelling Company on the recent erected Tunnellers Memorial at Givenchy.