Cooper . British Army Cooper served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Alan Cooper . Home Guard Feltwell Btn.
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Sgt. Albert Digby Cooper . Royal Air Force 108 Squadron from Niagara on the Lake Canada Albert Cooper served with 108 Squadron, Royal Air Force.
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Alfred Henry Cooper . Royal Navy HMS Halstead (d.11th Jun 1944)
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Mjr. Basil Seymour Cooper . British Army Royal Army Service Corps from Bristol My father, Basil Cooper who died many years ago, but he left me with the most beautiful photo albums that trace nearly every day of his life in the army, which started with the Territorial Army, Duke of Lancasters Own Yeomanry and progressed through World War Two when he was a major with the RASC.
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Basil Charles Cooper . Royal Navy HMS Pembroke from Sutton Court Road, Rochford, Essex I know dad, Basil Cooper was on minesweepers and did other things aboard ship. I do not know his service number. I have a savings book (no. 84289) from HMS Pembroke. Also, I have many small pictures of him with shipmates and pictures of different countries and places.
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L/Cpl. Bernard Charles Cooper . British Army 4th Battalion Green Howards from West Drayton My Dad, Bernard Cooper was in the 4th Battalion of the Green Howards and must have signed up after Dunkirk. The Green Howards were lifted off the Dunkirk beaches after that unsuccessful mission and then the next time they appear, after being brought back up to strength (when Dad must have signed up or been conscripted) is in the desert in 1942 which is where Dad’s story begins. I remember what little he did say about his time in the desert was that they were forever digging trenches and then moving somewhere else! This is borne out by the facts that I now know. The whole story of the desert war from Jan to June 1942 is about moving and relocating around the desert to the west of Tobruk.
By 1942 Rommel was in charge of the Afrika Korps and moving slowly eastward towards Cairo and the Suez Canal. There wasn’t much action until the middle of May and then it was all over in a matter of 4 days. The 4th and 5th Battalions of the Green Howards, plus a battalion of South Africans and Indians made up 150 company that fought at the Battle of Gazzala from 28th of May 28th to 1st of June. They were surrounded and squeezed into an ever smaller area as the Germans advanced and they stayed put! Sounds as if they were buying time so that a larger force around Tobruk could dig in (Desert Rats) and hoping for reinforcements that never came. Eventually they ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender and taken POW. Some of the fighting was brutal and there mentions of bayonet charges etc.
I always had the impression that dad was never involved in any action and never shot a rifle, which I guess was a pretty stupid thing to think and the British army never just surrenders without putting up a fight! But he never spoke about what happened. So now I know and am content that I do know what he did! After being captured, large number of PoWs including my Dad were transported through Italy to Mascerate on the east coast of Italy before eventually ending up in Germany where we can pick up his story again. After the war the 4th battalion of the Green Howards was never revived.
So it clear that Dad did see violent action and was lucky to have been captured unharmed as many of the battalion were killed and badly injured. Not quite the story that I think he told us!
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CE Cooper . British Army CE Cooper served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: The Wartime Memories Project is no longer in contact with Dan , his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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W/Cdr. Charles Stanley Cooper . Royal Air Force 254 Sqdn. (d.25th Sep 1943) My father, Wing Co. Charles Stanley Cooper, 254 Squadron RAF, was killed on 25th September 1943. His brother F/O John Cooper was killed on 14th December 1939 whilst flying with 99 Squadron. Both are named on the Runnymede Memorial.
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Charles John Cooper . Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 100 Squadron from Southend-On-Sea (d.16th March 1945) Charles Cooper as pilot, flew Lancaster PB117, HW-D on 16th of March 1945 from Grimsby on night flight to Nuremberg Germany but was shot down 30 miles south of destination crashing into forest near Eysolden, Bavaria. There were no survivors from the crew who are all buried in Durnbach War Cemetery south of Munich.
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PO. Charles Henry John Cooper . Royal Navy HMS Janus from Fratton, Portsmouth (d.23rd Jan 1944) The destroyer HMS Janus was supporting the Allied landings at Anzio, Italy when she was bombed and sunk on 23 January 1944 with a heavy loss of life. Petty Officer Cook, Charles Cooper was among those of her crew who died.
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Able Seaman. D. Cooper . Royal Navy HMS Forfar AB. Cooper's name is listed amongst the survivors in a letter sent to my father by Cmdr Arnott. He is listed in the chorus of the revue
"Get Sailing" which was performed onboard the Forfar on the 19th of June 1940.
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Gnr. Donald R. Cooper . British Army Royal Artillery from Birmingham
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Dorothy Cooper . Women's Land Army Barnsdale Hall, Oakham, Rutland, Leicestershire My Mum, Dorothy Cooper, who died over 25 years ago, worked as a Land Army Girl at Barnsdale Hall, Oakham, Rutland, Leicestershire.
She was there with her sister Kathleen Cooper and I know they were friends with a lady called Anne.
I am just wondering and hoping if there are any records, details or any information about her time there. My Mum, if she were alive, would now be 87, but I am wondering if there is anyone alive who was with her at Barnsdale Hall, or who might remember her?
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Douglas James Cooper . Royal Navy HMS Pembroke from Yately, Hants
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Tpr. Douglas Alfred John "Duff" Cooper . British Army East Riding of Yorkshire Yeomanry from Cheltenham Douglas Cooper is my dad. He landed on Sword Beach on D-Day in a Sherman tank. His tank was hit on D-Day plus 2 whilst resting up. There were two of them were in the tank; the rest were outside. William Harper was decapitated and dad got out just as the tank caught fire. He survived and later went on to drive a Buffalo over the Rhine and ended up in Berlin. William Harper is apparently buried in Bayeux.
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Earnest Cooper . Army Leicestershire Regiment My late father; Earnest Cooper, 4868237, Leicestershire Regt was captured in North Africa after the Battle of Kasserine (1943) and was first imprisoned in PG66 at Capua, then transferred to Stalag XVIIB following the Italian armistice.
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Pte. Edgar Roy "Roy" Cooper . British Army Royal Army Service Corps from 667 Netheravon Road, Durrington, Wiltshire (d.12th Feb 1944) Roy Cooper was always known by his middle name and he was one of the soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. His family were desperately worried about him and when they heard no word from him they began to fear the worst. His mother sat by the window night after night hoping that he'd come home safe and sound. One night, just when they'd given up hope, Roy came swinging down the road with nothing but the clothes he stood up in. I don't know how he got home but when his mother asked why he hadn't contacted them to let them know he was safe he said he didn't have any money to make a phone call. I remember my mother saying, 'The silly boy, anyone would have given him sixpence to contact his family.'
On 12th February 1944 Roy was in Foggia in Italy with his unit. He was walking down the road with friends when he was struck by a lorry and killed. The army said they would make a full investigation into the accident but I have no record of the outcome.
Roy was my step uncle. I never met him but I have some of his letters and I treasure them to this day.
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L/Cpl. Edwin Cooper . British Army
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Sgt. Eric Harold Cooper . British Army 214 Sqd. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (d.24th Jul 1942) Eric Cooper answered his country's call and joined the RAF and became a rear gunner in 214 Sqn RAF flying Stirling bombers. His aircraft was shot down over Holland on the night of 24th July 1942, Eric along with all but one of the crew perished. Eric Harold Cooper was 21 years old. He is buried alongside his comrades in arms at Werkendam CWG cemetery in Noord-Brabant.
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Sgt. Eric Harold Cooper . Royal Air Force 214 Sqdn. from East Stoke (d.24th July 1942) Eric Cooper was born on 14th August 1920 in a small Nottinghamshire village of East Stoke. He joined the RAF as a Volunteer Reserve on 4th January 1941, aged about 20.5 years. He did his 'square bashing' at Bournemouth before being selected for air gunner training at RAF Evanton.
From graduating Evanton Eric was posted to 12OTU a Wellington OTU. At some point he would have been promoted to Sergeant AG.
Eric arrived at 101 Squadron (Wellington) on 12th of June 1942 and was crewed with P/O Angel, Sgt Gerein, Sgt Howe and Sgt Morris they completed four operational trips when Eric was posted out to 214 Sqn (Stirling).
Eric arrived at 214 Sqn on 5th July 1942 and on 11th July 1942 he found out his 'old' crew had gone 'down' at Kiel.
Eric himself was killed in action just 13 days later on 24th July 1942 when his Stirling, piloted by P/O Jack D Peel, was attacked by a night fighter. All but one of the crew were killed. The wireless operator Sgt H C Fairhall was pulled out of the wreckage badly injured and was taken POW after treatment from the local Dutch doctor.
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Eric Henry Cooper . I am Eric Henry Cooper's granddaughter and have recently discovered that my late grandfather was in Stalag 8B and Oflag 4C before he spent time in Colditz. He was a dentist there and was sometimes known as `Toothy Coops'.
If anyone knows anything, even if it is just about the camps and where they were, please contact me.
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Sgt. Eric "Gary" Cooper . Royal Air Force 107 Squadron Eric Cooper as involved in an air accident where the pilot crashed and lost his life but Eric escaped with concussion. The aircraft was apparently a Mosquito.
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Francis Henry Cooper . British Army Royal Corps of Signals
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Col.Sgt. Frank Cooper . British Army 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment from Aston, Birmingham My father, Frank Cooper joined 1st North Staffords in early 1938, under age. He sailed to India in 1939, serving in Calcutta and Ahmednagar as Company Qtr Master Sgt/Color Sgt with D Company before being posted to supply work with PAI Force in North Persia/Iraq.
From there, en route to officer training in Bangalore, he served with 7th Leicesters whilst they were training for the second Chindit Campaign. He Commissioned into the Cameron Highlanders, serving with a training battalion in Scotland, and then with a Royal West African Frontier Force pioneer unit in West Africa and the Canal Zone, where he was Adjutant, Camp Branch GHQ Middle East until leaving the Army to come home in early 1947
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Fred Cooper . British Army from Heckmondwike My Grandfather Fred Cooper was in the army in WW2 he was a prisoner of war and he did show us a picture once of him rather emaciated after being starved to almost death, but since he passed away I have no idea where the photos or documents are, as none of the family have them or know where they are. I am trying to research my Cooper heritage but keep coming to dead ends my aunts and uncles don't know much information the eldest being 67 and the youngest my father 53. The family lost my grandmother Grace Goldthorpe when my father was only 9 years old to hyperthermic pneumonia and when she passed away my grandfather Fred Cooper raised the 5 children or more to the point they were to help raise each other because he never spent much time with them or even talked to them about what he did in the war and whether he had any close comrades from the war. All I know are things he started to tell us as he got to his 70's, so if anyone could possibly fill some blanks it would be greatly appreciated
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NCO. Frederick Cooper . British Army 84th (Sussex) Medium Regt. Royal Artillery from Bilston, Staffordshire His regiment was part of the 8th Army.
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L/Cpl. George Cooper . British Army 2nd Btn. Highland Light Infantry (d.25th Mar 1945) I have recently discovered that George Cooper was my great grandfather.
His son, my grandad, was born in April 1945. It was only 11 months later that George Cooper was killed in action, aged 37 years old.
His parents were Thomas and Margaret Cooper, of Edinburgh.
I would love to find out any more information and will continue to try and research about my great grandfather.
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Pte Gordon Michael "Michael" Cooper . British Army Beds & Herts Regiment from Southampton, England Gordon Michael Cooper, but known as Michael, was born in Southampton 15th December 1924. He was conscripted in 1942/43 into the Infantry (possibly the Beds & Herts Regiment) His unit was sent up to Arnhem in September 1944 to relieve the paratroops. He was captured by the Germans and taken to Stalag IVB at Mulhberg-Elbe. He features in a published photograph of the camp's 'Empire Theatre' which was sent to the Southampton Daily Echo by Sgt Albert Reith sometime in 1945.
Michael was taken out of Stalag IVB and put to work in a coalmine. On one occasion a roof collapse trapped him and a fellow prisoner underground. No rescue was forthcoming so they dug their own way out to safety. Towards the end of the war the German guards deserted their prisoners when they heard the distant sound of Russian gunfire. More afraid of the Russians than the Germans, Michael and a colleague escaped the camp and walked towards the American lines, hiding by day and travelling at night. He survived on stealing turnips and carrots from the fields.
After the war, Michael suffered bouts of mental illness; he emigrated to New Zealand in April 1951 to work in the NZ Forest Service, but returned to the UK some months later will the ill health continued. Nowadays we would recognise his symptoms as a severe case of post-traumatic stress. He lived a reclusive life, looked after variously by the NHS, his mother and his older brother, Dennis. He died of dehydration, in hospital, 9th February 1986.
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Pte. Harry Cooper . British Army 2nd Btn. Gordon Highlanders from Kirby Hill, Yorks. (d.26th September 1944) Harry Cooper is buried in the Mierlo War Cemetery in Holland.
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