Henry Cox

Serjeant Henry Cox – Royal Garrison Artillery – The Final Burial of 1914

Early Life

Henry Cox was born in 1885, the son of William Cox and Martha Phillips.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, six-year-old Henry was living with his family at 24 Ordell Street, Splott, Cardiff. His father, William, 31, born in Battle, Somerset, was working as a blacksmith, while his mother, Martha, 23, came from Frome, Somerset. Their children, all born in Cardiff, were Henry C., 6; Lillian R., 4; and Beatrice Mary, aged 2.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the Cox family had grown and were living at 15 Aberdovery Street, Roath, Cardiff. William, now 41, remained employed as a blacksmith, and Martha was 33. Their children were William John, 18, and Henry T., 16, both working as labourers at the Waggon Works; Lilian R., 14; David C., 9; Eli, 8; Albert, 6; James, 4; and George Ivor, aged 2.

1911 Census

A decade later, the 1911 Census still recorded the family at 15 Aberdovery Street. William, 51, was still a blacksmith, while Martha was 45. Their children at home included Henry, 27, employed as a blacksmith striker; David, 19, a labourer servant; Eli, 18, a baker’s assistant; Albert, 16, and James, 14, both laundry assistants; Maud, 14; George, 12; Irene, 7; and Arthur, aged 5.

Marriage and Family

Henry Cox and Mabel J. Burrough
marriage certificate

In 1912, Henry married Mabel J. Burrough at Axbridge, Somerset.

Military Service and Death

Henry Cox
Attestation Papers

In October 1914, Henry enlisted at Cardiff, joining the Royal Garrison Artillery. His attestation papers survive, providing a glimpse of his enlistment.

Only two months later, in December 1914, Serjeant Henry Cox died at Swansea Hospital on the 4^th. He was buried at Danygraig Cemetery, Swansea.

Widow and Children

Following Henry’s death, his widow Mabel returned to her parents’ home at 31 Abungon Street, Burnham-on-Sea. 

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, she was living there with her two children: Dorothy K., aged 8, and William H., aged 6.

Legacy

Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutees 1939-1947

The story of Serjeant Henry Cox and his family continued beyond his death. During the Second World War, his son William appeared in the Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutees 1939–1947, part of a post-war Allied effort to document individuals who had been persecuted or forcibly incarcerated by the Nazi regime across Germany and its occupied territories.

Henry Thomas Cox
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Henry’s own death in December 1914 made him the third soldier of the Royal Garrison Artillery to lose his life that year, and the final RGA burial of 1914 at Danygraig Cemetery. His story is tied closely to those of Privates Thomas Henry Compton and William Samuel Connor, both of whom died on 17^th November 1914.

Together, the burials of Compton, Connor, and Cox represent the earliest artillery losses of the war to be laid to rest at Danygraig. Their regiment, the Royal Garrison Artillery, was tasked with manning Britain’s heavy coastal and fortress guns, defending key ports such as Swansea, Cardiff, and along the Bristol Channel. Though none of the three men fell on the front lines in France or Belgium, their service and deaths highlight another side of the Great War — the risks faced by men stationed at home, in hospitals, barracks, and coastal defences.

Serjeant Cox’s burial closed the first chapter of RGA sacrifices at Danygraig in 1914. Today, the graves of Compton, Connor, and Cox stand together, silent witnesses to Swansea’s role in Britain’s early war effort. Their names, preserved in cemetery records and inscribed on their headstones, remind us that every life lost in service — whether overseas or at home — carried with it a story of family, sacrifice, and community mourning. Collectively, they form part of Swansea’s enduring connection to the Great War and to the men of the Royal Garrison Artillery who served and died in 1914.