In July 2011 I contacted both the Imperial War and the Royal Artillery Museums, to determine interest they may have in digital copies of my grandfather’s documents. Eventually an email response was received from Anthony Richards, of the Imperial War Museum’s Document and Sound Section.
In his email, he explained the museum had copies of most of the documents I had listed in my original email; however he was very interested in learning more about the journal. In my return correspondence I explained I had digital images of the journal as well as an image of a piece of paper describing the downing of a plane.
On August 1, 2011, Mr. Richard requested that I send him a few journal images for him to read and evaluate. I attached a few images to my email, and then waited for his response.
After a period of time, I began to question if perhaps he had not receive the images, so I contacted him to determine if he had indeed received the images and if so, was he interested in the remaining ones. In his reply he informed me that he had not received them, and requested that I resend them, which I did.
On September 2, 2011, I received Mr. Richard’s dispatch:
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
DOCUMENTS AND SOUND SECTION
Dear Mr. Coxen
Thank you for your latest emails and for sending the various attachments, which have now arrived correctly.
I was very interested indeed to see the images you sent, as the journal written by your late grandfather is full of excellent details regarding his military service and I am sure that we would be keen to look after the full version of the account so that researchers could consult it here at the Museum. Similarly, the document regarding the shooting down of a Zeppelin is an unusual wartime record that could be usefully preserved alongside the journal.
If you were happy to send a CD containing copies of all of the papers, I should therefore be glad to accept the copies as a donation to our archive. Alternatively, if you would prefer to visit the Museum in person and leave the collection with us for photocopying, I should be pleased to meet you here. For your reference our address is the Documents and Sound Section, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ.
I look forward to hearing from you again.
I was elated by his statement that the pages I sent were, ‘full of excellent details regarding his military service’ . That same day I copied the images to a CD and dispatched it per the address on the September 20th email.
Several months passed without a response, and again I wondered if he received the package. I sent a request for confirmation and he responded with the note that appears in the beginning of the book.
I felt proud of my grandfather for his efforts to record history as he experienced it.
As publication of the book grew near, I contemplated the future protection of the journal and the assorted documents I had labored over for so long. They were part of me now, their value – priceless, yet their worth to others is unknown and that haunted me. I discussed my concerns with my brother and sister; we concurred that the items should be donated to a museum where they would be protected. We also agreed that since our grandfather served in the British Army, the museum of choice should be in London.
Since I had been communicating with the Imperial War Museum, I offered to contact Anthony Richards. Then a thought occurred to me, ‘since my grandfather served in the Royal Field Artillery, it would be fitting if the Royal Artillery Museum accepted them.’
I sent an e-mail to the museum’s donation address, detailing the documents and the story behind them. Weeks went by without a reply, so I sent another inquiry, which suffered the same fate. I was surprised by their lack of interest, so without second thoughts, I contacted Anthony with my offer. Close to a month later I received the following e-mail:
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
DOCUMENTS AND SOUND SECTION
Our Ref: APR/DOC1
17 July 2012
Dear Mr Coxen
Thank you for your email of 27 June, regarding your grandfather's First World War documents. I do apologize for not responding sooner, but we are very short-staffed at the moment.
I was delighted to learn that you are considering the archival preservation of the original journal and associated papers, and can confirm that we would be pleased to accept the collection as a donation to this Museum, where the documents could be preserved under your grandfather's name and made readily available for public study, alongside the transcript that you have already kindly deposited with us. I would also be most interested to read the book which you have recently completed.
If you wanted to send the material by post then I should be glad to receive it. Alternatively, if you would prefer to visit the Museum in person, then I should be glad to meet you here. For your reference our address is the Documents and Sound Section, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ.
I look forward to hearing from you again.
Yours sincerely
A poignant realization struck me like a bolt of lightning; I would be returning a component of my grandfather’s life to his homeland. This would be a special moment, for my family, as well as a great PR opportunity; American grandson of British World War One soldier donates his grandfather’s journal and military papers to the IWM. The story of the promise might also draw interest.
Since I have been a member of the Western Front Association for the past three years, I thought they might be intrigued by this event, so I contacted the chairman of the London branch, Tom Thorpe. He thought highly of the story, as well as my returning part of British history, so he invited me to tell my story to the London membership, at their September 2013 meeting. I accepted – before realizing that I had never given a speech before a large audience. Fear filled the cracks between my initial reactions of honor and pride. Despite my trepidation as a speaker, it is fitting to share this remarkable journal and the impact my grandfather’s wartime promise with a receptive audience.
PLANNING THE TRIP
After confirming the September 5th speaking engagement with the London branch of the Western Front Association, I sent Anthony Richards an email inquiring if he would be available to meet with me and my wife on September 6th. He responded that his schedule was open so I suggested we meet at 11:00 am at the Imperial War Museum.
With the important matters addressed, I turned my attention to arranging two additional meetings, one with my second cousin, Lorraine Croxford and the other with Michele McGrath.
I emailed my second cousin to see if there was a way for us to meet. I always knew I had relatives in the UK but their names and locations remained a mystery. This changed when Lorraine responded to a blog I created for those with the last name of Coxen. Through email exchanges we discovered we were second cousins. She and her husband live north of London, therefore it would require them to make a special trip to spend Saturday with us. She confirmed they would meet us around 1 pm.
Michele and I had solidified our dinner plans in advance of my trip. My wife and I would meet them Saturday evening at a very fine restaurant just down the street from where we were staying.
When I submitted my first book for review through Goodreads, Michele, who is an author, was one of the reviewers. The book ‘The Great Promise’ received high ratings from three of the four reviewing authors, but Michele only gave it three stars. In her review she said that she would have rated it higher perhaps four or five stars if I would have included a bibliography. Being new in the author department, I sent her an email inquiring if a bibliography was necessary since the story was historical fiction. Through several exchanges of emails she convinced me to rewrite the story as non-fiction. Her closing remark was ‘It shouldn’t take you very long because you only have to change a few things and add a bibliography.’ It was eight months later when I finally completed the rewrite. When I started she said she would help and she did. She was instrumental in so many aspects that I wanted to meet the woman who put me through Hell.
Although Lynne and I were late in our arrival, we were warmly greeted and had a pleasant dinner. However, the restaurant was so noisy it was difficult to carry on a conversation, especially when it is between four seniors hard of hearing. After dinner we left to find a quieter place for conversation and desert. Both Michele and her husband John were marvelous people and my only regret is that we did not have more time to get acquainted. Perhaps we can visit them on our return trip next year.
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