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Recollections: A WWII Veteran Looks Back Over the Years

by Charles Cox

300 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #06-3039; ISBN 1-4251-1280-3; US$44.03, C$50.63, EUR34.33, £22.76

From prairie homesteader's son to British paratrooper and finally to Government employee, Charles Cox has led a humble yet stellar life.

About the Book

Starting his life on the beautiful and hard plains of Alberta, Charles Cox has lived a remarkable life. Born in 1921 he spent the first few years living on the quintessential homestead with his hardworking parents and siblings. Travelling in sun, wind, and rain to his one room schoolhouse and working on the farm taught Cox the value of good hard work and left a desire for education that grew as he did.

When his parents moved back to England in 1933 with their five children, Cox was placed into a completely different cultural milieu to which he happily adapted. Forced to leave school for financial reasons, Cox worked for his father as well as a few other employers before finally joining the British Army. He was firstly a Grenadier Guardsman and then became a paratrooper during WWII. He bravely fought in battles in North Africa and Italy before being captured in the ill planned Battle of Arnhem. Miraculously surviving in POW camps as well as the infamous "Death March" of 1945, Cox managed to return home to his family at the end of the war.

He then continued to improve his general education and tuition in the building trades via a government sponsored course; this enabled him to earn sufficient funds to return to Canada with his English wife and two children. Moving over the years from Halifax to Toronto and area and finally to Regina, Cox managed to gain a position with the Canadian Department of Defence, RCMP property manager for Saskatchewan and the Canadian Department of Public Works.

An additional two children born in Canada gave him much more responsibility, which he gallantly filled. Each home they lived in was fixed by Cox's experienced and capable hands and his dedication and perseverance at work led him to his final managerial position in the Department of Public Works.

Despite some setbacks and tragedies later in his life, Cox remained a hardworking and caring man. Beginning his visits back to England in 1977 Cox continually tries to stay connected with his family. Always a lover of dance and an avid learner, he continues to take classes, learning Spanish and attending ballroom dances. He now resides in the prairie city of Regina, which is an appreciable change from the rolling foothills prairie of his birth, which he likes to visit often.

About the Author

Born on a farm outside of Calgary, Alberta, Charles Cox has travelled much in his long and exciting life. Moving to England with his family where he joined the army, Cox fought during WWII where he became a POW. Surviving the ordeal he returned to Britain at the end of the war. Here he started his family and continued a life's pursuit of learning and hard work. Moving back to Canada in 1953 he and his family worked their way west before finally settling in Saskatchewan. An avid dancer and loving family man, Cox now resides in Regina.