Pte
William Henry Cozens
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 15/07/1893 |
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Place of birth: Chelsea, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Dry-cleaner and Dyer |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 20111 |
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Enlistment date: 16/11/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Beverley, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — East Yorkshire Regiment, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Van Isackere Farm, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 24 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 48A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private William Henry Cozens served in the East Yorkshire Regiment 8th Battalion, part of the 8th Brigade, of the 3rd Division. The 3rd Division participated in the Third Battle of Ypres. It attacked the village of Zonnebeke on the 26th of September 1917. The operation was part of the Battle of Polygon Wood (26th September-3rd October 1917).
The Division attacked with the 8th Brigade on the left and the 76th Brigade on the right, with the Ypres-Roulers railroad acting as a boundary between the Brigades. Zonnebeke being the final objective of the 76th brigade and Hill 40, at the Langemark-Zonnebeke road running Northwest from the village, was the objective of the 8th Brigade. The 8th Brigade’s attack was carried by the 2nd Royal Scots and the 8th East Yorks; the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 7th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. The 8th East Yorks, on the left, and the 2nd Royal Scots, on the right, were the first to leave their lines. They were to capture the first objective. Once they had captured the line of the first objective, the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 7th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry were to move through them and advance to Hill 40, with the 8th East Yorks and the 2nd Royal Scots in support.
At zero hour 5.30 a.m. the men followed closely behind a creeping barrage. The 2nd Royal Scots advanced along the railroad, easily keeping their line of advance. But the 8th East Yorks had to advance over marshy and shot up terrain, forcing them to the flanks. Notwithstanding the ghastly state of the ground the East Yorkshires reached their objective at 7.00 a.m. capturing 15 German prisoners and 4 machine guns and clearing three German pill-boxes in the process. The 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 7th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry leap frogged over the first objective and reached the Western slopes of Hill 40 at 10.00 a.m. Two German counterattacks in the afternoon were successfully repulsed and the men held the line for three days before they were relieved.
Private William Henry Cozens was killed in action on the 26th of September 1917, during the attack on Hill 40, Northwest of Zonnebeke. His remains were never recovered and he is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial.
The Division attacked with the 8th Brigade on the left and the 76th Brigade on the right, with the Ypres-Roulers railroad acting as a boundary between the Brigades. Zonnebeke being the final objective of the 76th brigade and Hill 40, at the Langemark-Zonnebeke road running Northwest from the village, was the objective of the 8th Brigade. The 8th Brigade’s attack was carried by the 2nd Royal Scots and the 8th East Yorks; the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 7th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. The 8th East Yorks, on the left, and the 2nd Royal Scots, on the right, were the first to leave their lines. They were to capture the first objective. Once they had captured the line of the first objective, the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 7th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry were to move through them and advance to Hill 40, with the 8th East Yorks and the 2nd Royal Scots in support.
At zero hour 5.30 a.m. the men followed closely behind a creeping barrage. The 2nd Royal Scots advanced along the railroad, easily keeping their line of advance. But the 8th East Yorks had to advance over marshy and shot up terrain, forcing them to the flanks. Notwithstanding the ghastly state of the ground the East Yorkshires reached their objective at 7.00 a.m. capturing 15 German prisoners and 4 machine guns and clearing three German pill-boxes in the process. The 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers and the 7th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry leap frogged over the first objective and reached the Western slopes of Hill 40 at 10.00 a.m. Two German counterattacks in the afternoon were successfully repulsed and the men held the line for three days before they were relieved.
Private William Henry Cozens was killed in action on the 26th of September 1917, during the attack on Hill 40, Northwest of Zonnebeke. His remains were never recovered and he is remembered on Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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8 Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment , (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1424/2). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 89-92. Sources used |
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Wyrall E., The East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918, (London, Harrison & Sons. LTD, 1928), pg. 234-239. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/841649 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=79bdaf08-74e6-4fe6-a6bc-55d83e430b1b |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/997306 |