THE VILLAGERS OF COLLINGHAM AND LINTON WHO SERVED IN WORLD WAR ONE
COLLINGHAMANDDISTRICTWARARCHIVE.INFO
CONTACT
Rank Corporal
Service Number M2/103724
Service Army
Battalion
Regiment Royal Army Service Corps
Buried St.Oswald's Churchyard, Collingham
Trade or Occupation pre-war: Pawnbroker's assistant
Marital status: Single
* Taken from attestation papers or 1911 census
** Marital status on enlistment or at start of war
- Ex-service man who moved to Collingham, Linton or Micklethwaite after the war, or (in the case of service men who were killed in the war) whose family moved to the villages after the war.
Biography
From his Parish Magazine obituary, we have identified Leonard Walter Cox as a World War 1 serviceman who moved to Collingham after the War :
Leonard Walter Cox was an old and respected resident in Collingham, having lived in the Parish for some forty years. During the Great War of 1914-1918 he served in the R.A.S.C. (M.T.) in France and Germany. He joined the British Legion in 1921 and during the rest of his life was actively connected with its work, especially in the Collingham and Linton Branch. At the time of his death he was President of the Branch, a position which he had held for some years. He was a keen motoring enthusiast and at one time took a great interest in vintage motor cycles, several of which he owned.
Family background
Leonard Walter Cox had been born on the 9th June 1884 in Glasgow. His father, Walter, and mother Minnie, were both from Leeds. Leonard's father died between 1901 and 1911, and in 1911, the family were living in Leeds. Leonard was a pawnbroker's assistant, while his brothers Sydney George (b. 1888 in Leeds) and Reginald Walter (b. 1892 in Huddersfield) were both tailor's cutters and his sister Florence Elizabeth (b. 1889 in Leeds) was a typist.
Service record
Leonard's service record has not survived and so we have not yet identified the exact unit in the RASC with which Leonard served. The lack of a service record also makes it difficult to identify when Leonard served, but here we can use some other records. Leonard's medal index card and medal roll for his campaign medals, as normal, do not include enlistment dates. However awards of the Silver War Badge do include such dates. Leonard was not discharged on health grounds and was not himself awarded a Silver War Badge, but we can look for men awarded a Silver War Badge who had service numbers close to Leonard's and can see if that gives us any information.
Searching for Silver War Badge awardees with service numbers around M2/103724 reveals:
| Service number | Name | Enlistment Date | Discharge Date | Discharge reason |
| M2/103718 | Pte Walter Broome | 4/6/1915 | 20/7/1917 | Injury & old wounds |
| M2/103723 | Pte Arthur Drummond | 3/6/1915 | 2/5/1918 | Wounds |
| M2/103724 | Pte Leonard Walter Cox | ? | ||
| M2/103726 | Pte Alfred French | 3/6/1915 | 21/3/1916 | Sickness |
| M2/103728 | Pte John Dick | 4/6/1915 | 14/1/1919 | Sickness |
| M2/103733 | Pte Orlando Smith | 4/6/1915 | 7/3/1918 | Sickness |
It therefore seems certain that Leonard Walter Cox enlisted in the Army around the 3-4th June 1915.
After the war
On the 27th April 1926, Leonard married Brenda Twidale a spinster from Collingham in St. Oswald's Church, Collingham. Leonard was 42 and was living in Leeds, while Brenda was 33, the daughter of Thomas Marrit Twidale a Collingham publican. After their marriage, Leonard and Brenda made their home in Collingham for at least the next 35 years. They lived at 7 Brooklands (1926-1930), 3 Compton Terrace (1932-1934), 4 Garth End (1935-1958) and 8 Garth End (1959-1961). In 1939, at the time of the 1939 registration, Leonard gave his occupation as a manager of a pawnbrokers.
Leonard and Brenda had at least two children, Ronald born in 1928 and Doreen born in 1931.
Leonard died on the 27th September 1967 and is buried in St.Oswald's cemetery, Collingham.
Biography last updated 10 March 2021 14:53:24.
Sources
1911 Census. The National Archives. Class RG14 Piece 27003
The Collingham Parish Magazine Nov 1967
First World War Medal Index Cards. The National Archives (WO372).
First World War Medal Index Rolls. The National Archives (WO329).
If you have any photographs or further details about this person we would be pleased to hear from you. Please contact us via: alan.berry@collinghamanddistrictwararchive.info