Australian Military Units

Brigadier General Charles Frederick Cox, CB CMG DSO VD

Date of birth2 May 1863 Pennant Hills, NSW 
Date and unit at enlistment (ORs)  1891  New South Wales Lancers. 
Date and unit at appointment (Officers)  1894  Appointed as a Lieutenant in the regiment. 
Date promoted  1897  Appointed to Captain. 
Other  1897  Chosen to head a detachment of the regiment in the ceremonies for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. 
Other  1899-12  Arrived in Cape Town after the Boer War broke out. 
Other  1900-05  Attached to the Inniskilling Dragoons. 
Date promoted  1900-12  Promoted to Major and given command of the newly formed 3rd New South Wales Mounted Rifles. 
Date returned to Australia  1900-12   
Other  1901-04  Returned to South Africa. 
Date promoted  1901-06  Appointed honorary lieutenant colonel. 
Other  1906  Appointed commander of the 1st Light Horse (previously New South Wales Lancers). 
Date promoted  1908-04-02  Promoted to lieutenant colonel. 
Other  1911  Transferred to the unattached list. 
Other  1914  Appointed to command the 6th Light Horse Regiment. 
Date wounded  1914-05-21  Wounded by shrapnel while asleep in his dugout at Gallipoli. 
Other  1915-09-19  Acting Commander of the 1st Light Horse Brigade. 
Date promoted  1915-12-06  Promoted to colonel and temporary brigadier general. 
Other  1915-12-06  Permanantly appointed commander of the 6th Light Horse Brigade. 
Date returned to Australia  1919-03-13   
Other units  1920  Appointed to command the 4th Light Horse Brigade. 
Other  1920  Elected to the Senate as a Nationalist representing New South Wales. 
Other units  1921  Appointed to command the 1st Cavalry Division. 
Other  1923  Transferred to the retired list with the rank of honorary major general. 
Date of death20 November 1944 Croyden, NSW 

Born in 1863 at Pennant Hills, NSW Charles Frederick Cox was educated in Parramatta and became a clerk with the New South Wales Railways traffic audit branch in 1881. Cox enlisted in the New South Wales Lancers in 1891and served twice in the Boer War first with the NSW Lancers and then with 3 NSW Mounted Rifles. Back in Australia, Cox remained with the Lancers which became 1Light Horse Regiment in 1903. He became the commander in 1906 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 2 April 1908. In September 1914, Cox was appointed command the AIF's 6th Light Horse Regiment. The regiment arrived at Gallipoli on 19 May 1915. Two days later, Cox was wounded by shrapnel, was evacuated and did not rejoin his regiment until 1 July. In September, Cox became acting commander of 1 Light Horse Brigade. In December 1915 the appointment became permanent and Cox was promoted to Colonel and temporary Brigadier General. He was to hold this post for the duration of the war. Cox returned to Australia in March 1919. In 1920 he was elected to the Senate and was appointed to command 4 Light Horse Brigade, and then 1Cavalry Division in 1921. In 1923 he was transferred to the retired list with the rank of honorary Major General. He died at Croyden on 20 November 1944 and was buried in the Carlingford Cemetery with military honours.