Name
Reginald (Reggie) Coxall
10 August 1899
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
01/11/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
G/37560
East Surrey Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
ROCQUIGNY-EQUANCOURT ROAD BRITISH CEMETERY, MANANCOURT
XIV. B. 24.
France
Headstone Inscription
CALLED AWAY WHETHER WE LIVE OR DIE WE ARE THE LORD'S
UK & Other Memorials
Anstey Village Memorial, St George's Church Memorial, Anstey
Pre War
Reginald Coxall was born on 10 August 1899 in Anstey, Hertfordshire, the son of Walter and Harriet Coxall and one of ten children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Bandons End, (nr Bandons Farm) Anstey where his father was working as a horsekeeper on a farm. They moved in 1906 and were recorded on the 1911 Census as living at of North End Farm, Anstey, Buntingford, Herts.
Wartime Service
He was deemed to have been enlisted on 2 March 1916 and was called up for service on 20 October 1917 at Hertford and joined the East Surrey Regiment. A letter to his sister Aggie in March 1918 revealed that he was in hospital at Crowborough Camp suffering from measles and was expecting to visit home "in about a week". He was subsequently sent to France, arriving on 27 April 1918 and initially being posted to 12th Battalion in Etaples, then to the 1st Battalion in the field on 3 May 1918.
Reginald was gassed on three occasions and recovered, but according to a newspaper article on 21 October 1918, he was severely wounded in his thigh, arm, face and left arm which had to be amputated. He died of his wounds on 1 November 1918 at the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and is buried in Rocquigney-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt, France.
Additional Information
His mother received a war gratuity of £3 10s and pay owing of £9 0s 3d. She also received a pension of 5 shillings a week.
In his letters home Reginald proudly informed his family that he had been recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, for taking messages under shell and heavy machine gun fire, however, after his death, when his mother wrote to enquire about it, she was told there was no record of the award which must have been very disappointing for the family.
Older brothers Albert, Sidney and Charles served with the Bedfordshire Regiment and Arthur served with the Royal Field Artillery. All four survived the war.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Malcolm Lennox, www.ansteyvillage.co.uk
