Keep the Home Fires Burning - detailing wartime life in the towns and villages mentioned.

B.S. 1916 July 15th

First-Class Stoker George Cox, the fourth son of Mr. and Mrs. James Cox, of Shenley, died at midnight last Sunday at the age of 38. He had served in the Navy for 18 years, with much of this time spent on foreign stations such as India, China, and the Mediterranean. At the outbreak of war, First-Class Stoker Cox sailed with his ship, the ‘Canada,’ for the North Sea, and took part in the “affair” off Heliogoland. The crew of the ‘Canada’ then won further distinction by their courage and valour off the Falkland Islands, and also off the coast of Scarborough, “when the Germans attempted one of their baby killing expeditions on the Yorkshire coast towns.” However, about two years ago he suffered a nervous breakdown, but although still maintaining his duty the illness slowly developed, and four months ago he was taken to hospital at Gosport, suffering from what eventually proved to be tuberculosis, brought on by the trying and terrible exposure to his experience on the high seas. Receiving his discharge from hospital on June 17th, he returned to his home at Shenley, and during the brief periods when his health showed improvement, took short walks around his village home. Then last week end the illness took a more serious turn, and at midnight on Sunday he passed away. His body was laid to rest in Shenley churchyard on Wednesday afternoon, the polished elm coffin, draped with a Union Jack, and his cap resting on top, having been borne from his home on the London road on the hand hearse, drawn by eight men of the Signal Section Royal Engineers from the Fenny Stratford depot.

A brother of the deceased is serving in the Australian Navy, and having volunteered at the commencement of the war, a third has been in France with the Oxon and Bucks Light Infantry for some 16 months.