Herbert Cox
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Herbert Vaughan Cox GCB
KCMG
CSI
(12 July 1860 – 8 October 1923) was a British
officer in the Indian Army
.
Cox was born in Watford
, the son of the Rector
of Upper Chelsea. He was educated at Charterhouse
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the 25th Foot (later the King's Own Scottish Borderers
) in 1880. Posted to India
, he served in the closing stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
and was promoted Lieutenant
. He transferred to the Madras Staff Corps in 1882 and served in the Third Anglo-Burmese War
of 1885–1886 with the 21st Madras Infantry.
He then briefly served as adjutant
of the South India Railway Volunteer Corps before being appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General for Musketry in Burma. Soon afterwards he was appointed DAAG of Imperial Service Troops. He was promoted Captain
in 1891. In 1894 he became an inspector of the contingents supplied by the Indian Princely States. He served on the Mohmand
and Tirah Expeditions and in the Boxer Rebellion
, being promoted Major
in 1900. Returning to India in 1902, he spent five years in command of his regiment, the 69th Punjabis
, as a Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel. He was promoted substantive Lieutenant-Colonel in 1904 and Brevet
Colonel
in 1907. He was promoted substantive Colonel and became Assistant Quartermaster-General for Mobilisation later in 1907. Nine months later he was appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General for India, in which post he served for three years. In 1911 he was appointed military member of the Coronation
Durbar Committee with the temporary rank of Brigadier-General, for which he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI) later that year.
His next post was as commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade at Rawalpindi
. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1912 Birthday Honours. He then took command of the 2nd (Nowshera) Infantry Brigade. When the First World War broke out he was given command of the Gurkha
Brigade in Egypt
, Arabia and Gallipoli
, where he was wounded. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in October 1915 for distinguished service in the field. In 1916 he was appointed Colonel of his old regiment, the 69th Punjabis. He then commanded the 4th Australian Division in Egypt and in France
from 1916 to 1917, when he became Military Secretary to the India Office
, where he remained until his retirement in January 1921. He was promoted Lieutenant-General in January 1917 for distinguished service in the field. In 1919 he was appointed to the Esher Committee to look into Indian Army administration and organisation. He was promoted General
in 1920 and appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1921 Birthday Honours following his retirement.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sir Herbert Vaughan Cox GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
KCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
CSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
(12 July 1860 – 8 October 1923) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officer in the Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
.
Cox was born in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, the son of the Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Upper Chelsea. He was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the 25th Foot (later the King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
) in 1880. Posted to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he served in the closing stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
and was promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He transferred to the Madras Staff Corps in 1882 and served in the Third Anglo-Burmese War
Third Anglo-Burmese War
The Third Anglo-Burmese War was a conflict that took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance and insurgency continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British...
of 1885–1886 with the 21st Madras Infantry.
He then briefly served as adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the South India Railway Volunteer Corps before being appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General for Musketry in Burma. Soon afterwards he was appointed DAAG of Imperial Service Troops. He was promoted Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1891. In 1894 he became an inspector of the contingents supplied by the Indian Princely States. He served on the Mohmand
Mohmand Campaign
The First Mohmand Campaign was a British military campaign against the Mohmands from 1897 to 1898.-Background:The Mohmands are a Pashtun tribe who inhabit the hilly country to the north-west of Peshawar, in the North-West Frontier Province...
and Tirah Expeditions and in the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
, being promoted Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in 1900. Returning to India in 1902, he spent five years in command of his regiment, the 69th Punjabis
69th Punjabis
The 69th Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1759, when they were raised as the 10th Battalion Coast Sepoys....
, as a Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel. He was promoted substantive Lieutenant-Colonel in 1904 and Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1907. He was promoted substantive Colonel and became Assistant Quartermaster-General for Mobilisation later in 1907. Nine months later he was appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General for India, in which post he served for three years. In 1911 he was appointed military member of the Coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
Durbar Committee with the temporary rank of Brigadier-General, for which he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Star of India (CSI) later that year.
His next post was as commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade at Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1912 Birthday Honours. He then took command of the 2nd (Nowshera) Infantry Brigade. When the First World War broke out he was given command of the Gurkha
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
Brigade in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Arabia and Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
, where he was wounded. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in October 1915 for distinguished service in the field. In 1916 he was appointed Colonel of his old regiment, the 69th Punjabis. He then commanded the 4th Australian Division in Egypt and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1916 to 1917, when he became Military Secretary to the India Office
Military Secretary to the India Office
The Military Secretary to the India Office was responsible for the recruitment of British and other European nationals to the officer ranks of the Indian Army.-Military Secretaries to the India Office:The Military Secretaries were as follows:...
, where he remained until his retirement in January 1921. He was promoted Lieutenant-General in January 1917 for distinguished service in the field. In 1919 he was appointed to the Esher Committee to look into Indian Army administration and organisation. He was promoted General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in 1920 and appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1921 Birthday Honours following his retirement.