Unknown Fiance of Robert Cecil Cox in Gosport

[dibdab]

Hi I'm after some guidance to try and solve a family mystery please!

Here are the facts:

Robert Cecil Cox: lived in Alverstoke, Gosport, Hampshire 1894 - 1918 was engaged to be married unfortunately Robert was killed in WW1 and left his fiancé with an unborn baby in the Gosport area. No living relatives have any information of his fiancé - even her name. We have made enquiries in Gosport and we cannot find anything - all details like NOK etc go back to the Roberts mother nothing traces back to anyone else. We assume the unknown lady came from the surrounding area of Gosport - possibly Fareham with to Roberts family being based there.
The Fiancé then disappeared from Gosport and she went on to have the baby also named Robert Cecil Cox, 15/02/1919, we believe born in Plymouth. He was adopted by his Uncle and Auntie Ernest & Eleanor Cox soon after his birth and they raised him as their own in Plymouth and he lived a happy long life with family of his own, he always knew he had been adopted but was never told who his real mother was and never got a copy of his birth certificate. Robert was baptised a few months later and this shows his adopted parents names shown not his paternal Mother. At this point Robert as a baby was living in St Andrews in Plymouth and his baptism suggests he was born there so at some point the fiancé of Robert has moved to Plymouth and had her baby. We do not know what happened to her and why the baby was given up - we suspect either she died in child birth or soon after or being a single parent in those days she gave up the baby to his family to give him a better life.
2 living relatives have tried gaining the birth certificate of Robert but unfortunately we cannot seem to get anywhere and have been told by Plymouth Registry office they cannot give out details even though they have visited in person with family documents etc. We have also tried Facebook, National Archives, the local records office and the Church at St Andrews with no luck.
it would just be lovely to give this lady recognition and to finally find out who she was.

I hope this all makes sense, its a very tangled mystery we would love to solve so any ideas and assistance would be much appreciated! i have included a picture of Robert Cecil Cox with our mystery relative!

kind regards
Debbie
 
 

[spendlove]

Hi,

The child could not have had his birth registered as Cox, he would have been registered in his mothers maiden name.

So assiming the mother registered him with the Christian names Robert Cecil and restricting the search to the first quarter of 1919 because you say he was born 15 Feb 1919, there is only one possible result on freebmd
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

Robert C S Cock, mothers maiden name Cock.   Dover 2a 1464. Checking this further I discovered the full name was Robert Charles Sutton Cock.

You would have to purchase the birth certificate to discover this particular mothers Christian name.

All of this is on the assumption, that you have the correct birth date and he was actually registered as Robert Cecil.  You have to consider that his adoptive parents gave him his Christian names in honour of his Father and so not the names he was registered with.

Robert C Cox died August 1918, have you looked at his service records to see where he was say May 1918 to August 1918?

Spendlove

[jim1]

Where has the information come from that he died in 1918.
There's no Robert Cox dying Aug. 1918 on the soldiers effects register
or the CWGC.
Who did he serve with.

[CaroleW]

Robert died 26.8.1918

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/305714/R%20C%20COX/

[jim1]

Thanks Carole
Should have thought about just using initials.
In action in mid April (Beaumont Hamel) & into
Div. reserve later until early May & then back into action again.
Div. reserve gives an opportunity to be granted leave.
The diary doesn't state who did.

[JenB]

Welcome to Rootschat 

Robert was baptised a few months later and this shows his adopted parents names shown not his paternal Mother. At this point Robert as a baby was living in St Andrews in Plymouth and his baptism suggests he was born there so at some point the fiancé of Robert has moved to Plymouth and had her baby.

Could you clarify what it says on the baptism that leads to you believe that Robert was actually born in Plymouth?

2 living relatives have tried gaining the birth certificate of Robert but unfortunately we cannot seem to get anywhere and have been told by Plymouth Registry office they cannot give out details even though they have visited in person with family documents etc.

What exactly did they ask for? I can't see any birth registrations of anyone called Cox in Plymouth within the timescale you mention, so not sure how the Register Office would be able to help?

[spendlove]

Hi,

What family documents were taken to Portsmouth Reg. Office?

Is there any information on the photograph I.e. name of photographer their address date etc.

What evidence do you have that they were engaged? 

From post by Jim1, it is quite possible he came home on leave Late May 1918, do you have any information about this.

Spendlove

[cath151]

Hi
Not at all sure about this theory, think I am just making names fit
Birth JFM Devonport
Robert C C Thomson  mmn Harvey
Can t find a marriage before 1919 but there is a marriage in 1923 Devonport for an Edwin B Thomson and Norah F D  (Frances Dorothy born 1901 but living in Plymouth in 1911)
Norah and Edwin are on the 1939 but probable children redacted.
Can t find a Robert CC elsewhere at the moment.
ADDED  Sorry not likely to be as Robert C C Thomson appears to have had a twin. Another theory up the spout  although I can t find a GRO entry for Robert even though there is one for Frederick Goodhall Thomson)
Do you know who the Florence M Bishop (single born 1900) is, who is living with them as servant in 1939?
ADDED Not twins as Frederick Goodall s entry has Occasional Copy A which suggests a change along the way.
I did find a Norah Harvey who enrolled in the WRNs in 1918 G1781 Shorthand Typist http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7432196
Cathy

[LizzieL]

Robert died 26.8.1918

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/305714/R%20C%20COX/

On CWGC details it says he was son of Mr and Mrs William Cox. However on the Army and Navy BMD records. It gives the name of his sister as person to be notified. She was Mrs E Bucksay of 57, Village Road, Alverstoke, Gosport. perhaps she could lead to the fiancee. Sounds like he was closer to her if he gave her name for notification rather than brother Ernest.
In 1901 he has older sister Edith and younger sister Elsie, but they married Ausin and Painter, so maybe another sister somewhere.