Alnwick County Gazette September 1915
Morpeth Herald Friday 09/10/1914
Medal Index Card
Newcastle Journal Saturday 03/10/1914
Indian General Service Medal with Clasp
John Willcox was born at Turks Head Yard, Alnwick, Northumberland, on the 11th June 1884, the eldest son, of Charles [born 1855], a tailor, and his wife Elizabeth [nee Dixon, born 1856], Tenter Hill, Wooler, Northumberland. In 1891 he was residing at Clayport Street, Alnwick, with his younger brother Charles Henry, [born 1886], he also had two sisters, Mary [born 1888] and Georgina [born 1891], and his mother's sister, Mary, who is listed as a visitor. His mother was with her parents at Tenter Hill.
In 1901, he was a Brewery cellar man, residing at 32 Narrowgate, Alnwick, [next to Ye Olde Cross Inn , known locally as the Dirty Bottles], Northumberland. His parents were now residing at Dispensary Street, Alnwick. John's younger brother was a watchmaker.
John enlisted into the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, around 1902, and was given the service number 737. He was sent to India with his battalion.
[The 1st Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers is recorded as serving in India from 1905 to 1912 in Peshawar, the NW Frontier and Bombay. The battalion returned to England in 1913. The battalion's operations on the NW Frontier included the Zakha Khel Expedition and the Mohmand Expedition (1908) between the 14th February 1908 - 31st May 1908. 867 members of the battalion were eligible for the 1908 bar to the IGSM].
He was involved in the Mohmand Expedition, North West Frontier 1908, with the 1st Battalion.
In 1911, he is in the census at the Barracks at Rawalpindi, India, with his battalion.
He was awarded the India General Service Medal with Clasp [N W Frontier], this clasp was awarded for service in the Zakka Khel and or Mohmand punitive expeditions on the North-West Frontier of India in 1908.
The battalion returned home from India, and the 1st Battalion was in Portsmouth in August 1914, and the 2nd which was in India. The 1st NF was in the 9th Brigade commanded by Brig-Gen Shaw, in General Haldane's 3rd Division and it needed 621 reservists to bring it up to war strength.
In a local paper is a heading "Called Up, Amongst those who have been called up in Alnwick, some of whom have gone through former campaigns, are Tommy Scott and Tommy Allen, Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders; Flaxton Orange, Irish Fusiliers; J. Dixon and J.Willcox, 5th Northumberland Fusiliers; James Veall, 41st Regiment of Foot." John was one of the reservists to be called up.
The battalion arrived in France on the 14th August 1914 aboard the SS Norman, ship number 112444, from Southampton to Le Havre, and was soon in action at Mons in which battle the 3rd and 5th Divisions bore the brunt of the fighting, and thereafter saw action in all the major engagements of 1914 - Marne, Aisne, La Bassee, Armentieres and Ypres.
[The battalion remained on the Western Front, in the same brigade and division, for the rest of the war. In all it suffered 1742 dead].
The War Diary records:- " The order to mobilise was received at 6pm on the 4th August 1914. By 7.15pm an Officer and a NCO had been despatched to Newcastle to collect Reservists.
The next day the battalion moved to Portsmouth, for a Medical inspection.
By the afternoon the British position in the salient had become untenable; the 4th Middlesex had 15 officer and 353 other ranks killed or wounded. To the east of the British position, units of the German IX Corps had begun to cross the canal in force, threatening the British right flank. At Nimy, Private Oskar Neimeyer had swum across the canal under British fire to operate machinery closing a swing bridge. Although he was killed, his actions re-opened the bridge and allowed the Germans to increase pressure against the 4th Royal Fusiliers.
At 3:00 p.m. the British 3rd Division was ordered to retire from the salient, to positions a short distance to the south of Mons and a similar retreat towards evening by the 5th Division to conform. By nightfall II Corps had established a new defensive line running through the villages of Montrœul, Boussu, Wasmes, Paturages and Frameries The Germans had built pontoon bridges over the canal and were approaching the British positions in great strength. News had arrived that the French Fifth Army was retreating, dangerously exposing the British right flank and at 2:00 a.m. on 24 August, II Corps was ordered to retreat south-west into France to reach defensible positions along the Valenciennes–Maubeuge road.
At about 3.30 am on the 25th August, the Germans had bombarded the battalions position, the British artillery was unable to reply immediately, at about 7am the Germans were eventually checked by the British Artillery, however on the right flank the Right hand Brigade started to fall back, which resulted in the 1st Battalion to fall back as well, through the village of Frameries, where some street fighting took place. In this action at some point that John was killed.
There was some confusion about the exact date of John being killed, as some of the records state presumed wounded and missing, then wounded. However, the War Diary states a casualty of the 24th August.
John was in 'D' Company and was killed on the 24th August 1914, near Frameries.
John's brother Charles Henry was now a miner and he enlisted on the 1st September 1914.
The Newcastle Daily Chronicle 26/07/1919 reports:
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Willcox of the Town Hall, Alnwick, have received the Mons Star and medal, to which their son, Private John Willcox, was entitled, but who was killed in action on September 29, 1914 (sic). Private J. Willcox had seen 12 years service with the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, and held the medal for the Indian Frontier Campaign with clasp.
John Willcox is remembered at Alnwick on A11.01, A11.03, in A11.09 and in A11.56
