Summary

Alternative Name(s): Dog Tag, Identification Tag, Identity Disc

Metal identity tag used by serviceman Archibald Cox during World War I.

Archibald Cox was born at Fullerton Cove near Stockton, Newcastle, NSW. He was a 20-year-old hospital attendant when he enlisted to fight in World War I on 14 September 1915. He was given placed in the 30th Battalion - service number 2306 - and embarked on 11 March1916. He served in France until early December 1916 when he suffered from severe trench foot and was hospitalized. On 27 June the following year both his feet were amputated. He returned to Australia on 4 January 1918 and was discharged on 7 February 1918, medically unfit.

Cox's story is important for several reasons. Like so many boys of his generation he undertook early military training as a cadet. His two years' experience as a Senior Cadet is documented in his Record of Service Book. (As he was born around 1895, however, the 1901 date of his Senior Cadets service book is likely to either be incorrectly recorded in the auction catalogue or relate to the date of the issue of the book used to document his service.) Cox's time in Egypt during training is recalled in his Cairo souvenir medal onto which personal information and the date are scratched. But it is his experience in the trenches of France during the bitter winter of 1916 that is the most significant part of his story. Amputation of both feet was a terrible but ever-feared consequence of trench foot, caused by long periods in water-logged trenches, boots that swelled and tightened and became difficult to remove, and puttees on the calves that restricted circulation to the legs. As military historian Dr Peter Stanley has pointed out, the consequences of trench foot could be extremely serious or even fatal, and the provision of dry, warm socks in 'comforts' packages could save lives. The personal mementoes of Archibald Cox's service are a poignant reminder of a characteristic injury of World War I and its life-time consequences.

Physical Description

Made from a Cairo souvenir medal in white metal (41mm).

More Information