Coxell was serving as a policeman in a reserved occupation when he volunteered to join the RAF as a pilot. After training in the USA, he joined 297 Squadron and flew the Albermarle in the airborne support role. He dropped men of the Airborne Division on the night of D-Day and later that evening towed a Horse glider with reinforcements. During the Arnhem battle, he towed another Horse and dropped supplies. He also dropped supplies and agents to the Resistance in France and Norway before taking part in the third great airborne operation, the the crossing of the River Rhine, Operation Varsity when he towed a Horse, this time flying a Halifax. He served post-war as a flying instructor and on exchange to the Royal Malayan Air Force. After leaving the RAF, he had a long career with the Channel Island based Aurigny Air Services.

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