Studio portrait of 845 Private (later Corporal) John Stanley Cox, 26th Battalion, of Lambton, ...

Studio portrait of 845 Private (later Corporal) John Stanley Cox, 26th Battalion, of Lambton, NSW. An orchardist prior to enlistment, he embarked on 29 June 1915 from Brisbane as a member of C Company, aboard troopship HMAT Aeneas (A60). After training in Egypt, the battalion landed at Gallipoli on 12 September. At Gallipoli, the 26th played a purely defensive role and at various times was responsible for the defence of Courtney's and Steele's Posts, and Russell's Top. It withdrew from the peninsula on 12 December.
After another stint in Egypt, the 7th Brigade proceeded to France as part of the 2nd Australian Division in March 1916. In concert with the 28th Battalion, the 26th mounted the first trench raid undertaken by Australian troops on the Western Front on 6 June. The Battalion fought in its first major battle around Pozières between 28 July and 7 August. After a short spell in Belgium, the 2nd Division came south in October to attack again in the Somme Valley. The 26th Battalion took part in two attacks to the east of Flers, both of which floundered in mud and slush. It was during one of these attacks that Corporal Cox was killed in action on 5 November 1916. He was aged 28 years. A former student of Prince Alfred College, Adelaide, this image appeared in their school magazine.