Medals in original envelopes – service and campaign medals (William Fox); Death Penny (For Charles Fox); Insignia for Royal Berkshire (Dragon) - Charles; Insignia for Oxfordshire (Horn) - Wilf.
Charles Fox (Berkshire Regiment) and William ‘Wilf’ Fox were my grandmother's brothers and both served in the army during the First World War. Charles was with the Berkshire Regiment, and Wilf with the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Regiment. They grew up in Aston, near Witney, but the family believes they both served with their respective regiments in France. The family know very little about the two brothers and have found their histories difficult to trace as sadly neither brother survived the war. Charles died on 22nd February 1918. The family do not know when Wilf died. My grandmother had a few memories but she would only have been a very young girl at the time. The brothers were part of a large family of 13 children and both of them worked on the same farm in Aston, just outside Witney. It was the ‘done thing’ to sign-up for honour and for country. Wilf served with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Regiment as a private (9604 service number according to War Graves Commission but no. 22485 W Fox is the number recorded on his campaign medals, possibly because numbers were later changed) . The medals, Death Penny and insignia badges have been passed down to me by my grandmother, who kept them in the wardrobe. I used to look at them when I was a boy and was fascinated by them. When my grandma passed away the medals and insignia were passed to me. I am very proud of the brothers’ contributions and for their service to the country and the war. I would have liked to have met them and to have learnt more about their experiences. Both brothers are commemorated at the Communal Cemetery at Metz-en-Coutere (British Extension) so we assume they served in France. Charles has a headstone and Wilf is commemorated on a plinth. The photo shows my grandmother visiting Charles' headstone.