Rifleman Joseph Cogans, 5556, 10th Battalion King's Royal Rifles, was reported missing, presumed killed, in Flanders on November 30th, 1917.

It was nearly three months before his widowed mother Elizabeth was informed at 27 Dorset Street, Luton, with the hope that he might have been taken prisoner. She appealed through The Luton News for any further information about her son.

Joseph Cogans was born in Aston [Birmingham], Warwickshire, in 1891. His father John had died in 1911 while the family were living in West Ham and Luton-born Elizabeth decided to return to her home town. Joseph worked at Vauxhall Motors before moving to Wales to become a miner.

He enlisted in Newport, Monmouthshire, in September 1914, and, after training at Salisbury Plain and Farnborough, he was drafted to France the following July and was wounded twice. Joseph had two spells of home leave, the last in September 1917.

Joseph's brother, Arthur, had been serving in France for nine months, He had previously worked for George Kent Ltd.