Thomas Cox Queens Own Royal West Kent (Volunteers)

[jacqueline cox]

I apologise if I posted about this over 10 years ago. I believe my grandfather Thomas Cox born May 1 1883 joined the Royal West Kent volunteers c 1904/ 5 when his family relocated to Deptford  from Reading (his brother Henry died in the Berks volunteers in Pretoria in 1900.) On 20 June 1906 his father Henry Pilbeam Cox used my grandfather's rifle to kill himself. He found ammunition in my grandfather's pocket as he was forced to break the rules regarding taking ammo away because the man who collected it had gone home early.
I would loved to know more about when my grandfather joined up or indeed, any reference at all to his service with the RWK (he became a lifelong pacifist; it was a very messy suicide!) I don't know where to start first.
Thank you.

[HistoricalGenealogy]

Hi Jacqueline,

There is a Thomas Cox listed in the Royal West Kent Regiment Honors as Tom Cox

Tom Cox
Private, 8th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment
Killed in Action in France on 21st March 1918
Pozieres Memorial

Source:
https://kcacr.org.uk/association/ww1/roh/

[jacqueline cox]

Thank you for that, but my grandfather lived until 1941. But he was generally called Tom. I imagine he resigned from the RWK after having a share of the responsibility for his father's suicide. He was in a reserved occupation in WW1.

[HistoricalGenealogy]

I was able to locate a record of him on FindMyPast.

First name(s)
Thomas
Last name
Cox
Birth year
1886
Year
1903
Service number
4746
Regiment
Royal West Kent Regiment
Birth county
London
Series
Wo 96 - Militia Service Records 1806-1915

Source:
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBM%2FWO96%2F875%2F1461942

[jacqueline cox]

Thank you. I clearly didn't look at the right part of FindMyPast! How significant do you think it was that this one says born in 1886, but my grandfather was born in 1883? I have seen sloppy record keeping but I should think in 1903 there was no crisis going on at the time to account for a mistake such as that would be. Can you tell if this RWK attestation was for regulars or volunteers?
Reluctantly, I think this was probably not my Thomas.