FAMILY LIFE

Bert Cox was born 10^th October 1899, son of Mary Cox. Bert lived in Chillingham, where he was a farmer & a bushman.

APPLICATION

He was 18 years 6 months, single and completed his application & medical on 20^th April 1918 at Murwillumbah. When Bert enlisted his mother signed her consent as his father’s whereabouts were unknown. Bert was 5ft 4inches tall (1.62M) and weighed 145lbs (66kgs) with a dark complexion, brown eyes & black hair. His eyesight was good and he was dentally fit. Bert was Church of England. The Examining Medical Officer stated that Bert “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.”  On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Bert Cox, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

He allotted his pay to his mother. He was assigned to the 2^nd reinforcements, Egypt with service number 52640. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron in October 1918

2ND LIGHT HORSE MACHINE GUN SQUADRON

The 2nd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron was part of the Australian Imperial Force during World War I. Initially, machine gun sections were attached to individual Light Horse regiments, but these were later consolidated into squadrons under brigade control. The 2nd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron supported the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, which was part of the ANZAC Mounted Division

Equipped with Vickers medium machine guns, the squadron provided critical fire support during campaigns in Egypt and Palestine from 1916 to 1918. Their role included suppressing enemy positions, defending against counterattacks, and supporting the brigade's mounted operations. The squadron's mobility and firepower were vital in the open desert warfare of the Middle Eastern theatre.

ENOGGERA TRAINING CAMP

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. Bert arrived on 8 May 1918 & whilst at Enoggera he received his 3 vaccinations. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 10.97 x 6.7 metres. Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together.

Now their training began. Firstly, a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service.

It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas

The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months.

The recruits were issued with their uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet

DISCIPLINED

Bert was charged with AWOL whilst at Rifle Range-he was given home leave and was to return on 25^th May but did not return till 1^st June. He had been in the camp for 3 weeks. His general character was stated as good and he forfeited 5 day’s pay. He had passed his riding test

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

His unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Wiltshire on 10^th June, 1918. The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On-board, Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores

Attempts at breaking up the boredom, apart from the regular drill, varied. Shipboard activities included regular church parades and concerts. Troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection. Sports and recreation included boxing, deck quoits, draughts. Also, the commanding officer's morning inspection; kit inspections; submarine drill; recreation such as the on deck 'open air' library, deck billiards, pillow fighting and card games including Nap. As well, conditions on the ships were cramped and the risk of illness was constant. 

Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. Many of the troops experienced bouts of seasickness on the voyage. The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship. They disembarked on the Suez 17^th July 1918

MOASCAR TRAINING CAMP

The unit then went to the isolation camp in Moascar. During World War I, this camp provided the final preparation for entrainment to Alexandria and the Western Front. The isolation camps screened soldiers arriving in Egypt as reinforcements for two weeks, checking for any illnesses such as measles which can break out when people are crowded together for long periods. Ismailia is a city in north-eastern Egypt, situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in a training camp, the volunteers left their old lives farther behind. They began their training with physical fitness exercises, they were taught individual and unit discipline, how to follow commands, how to march, some basic field skills and how to safely handle his weapons.  Later, as soldiers specialised in a particular area (for example, machine gunner or signaller) they would be trained in specific skills and would take part in practice manoeuvres and sham fights. They would spend many hours learning training in the use of bayonets, anti- gas training and guard duty along with lectures on camouflage or trench warfare and much more.

SINAI & PALESTINE

TAKEN ON STRENGTH 2^ND LIGHT HORSE MACHINE GUN COMPANY

On 10^th October 1918 Bert attended the Machine Gun training course & was taken on strength with the 2^nd Light Horse Machine Gun squadron. The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. Bert would have been part of the Stalemate in Southern Palestine was a six-month standoff between the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Army. The two hostile forces faced each other along the Gaza to Beersheba line during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, with neither side able to force its opponent to withdraw.

WAR ENDED- HOSPITALISATION

At 11 am on 11 November, 1918, the guns fell silent. The November armistice was followed by the peace treaty of Versailles signed on 28 June 1919.

HOSPITALISATION MEASLES MARCH 1919

Bert was admitted to hospital with measles on 8^th March 1919 and rejoined his unit on 12^th April 1919. He was again admitted to hospital 22^nd May, no details

GOING HOME

Bert was finally able to return home on the HT Madras 3^rd August 1918 from Kantara, Egypt. In his medical report dd 3rd August 1919 it was stated “I am not suffering from any disability due to or aggravated by war service & I feel fit & well” which he signed. 

FOR HIS SERVICE

He was discharged 18^th August 1919. For his service, Bert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.

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