Kenneth Cooper (British Army officer)
Kenneth Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kenneth Christie Cooper |
| Born | 18 October 1905 Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 4 September 1981 (aged 75) Salisbury, Wiltshire, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1924–1959 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Service number | 27871 |
| Unit | Royal Corps of Signals |
| Commands held | 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry 7th Armoured Brigade 7th Armoured Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
Major-General Kenneth Christie Cooper CB, DSO, OBE (18 October 1905 – 4 September 1981) was a senior British Army officer who commanded 7th Armoured Division.[1]
Military career[]
Educated at Berkhamsted School, Cooper was commissioned into the 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Signals Regiment in 1924[2] and then transferred to the Royal Tank Corps in 1927.[3]
He served in World War II as Commanding Officer of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry from October 1941, as a General Staff Officer with IX Corps in North Africa from 1942 and as a Brigadier on the General Staff at Allied Force Headquarters from 1943.[4] His last war-time role was as Commander of 7th Armoured Brigade in Italy from 1945.[4]
He was appointed Brigadier, Royal Armoured Corps at Northern Command in 1947, Chief of Staff at West Africa Command in 1948 and Assistant commandant of the Staff College, Camberley in 1952.[4] He went on to be General Officer Commanding 7th Armoured Division in 1953 and Chief of Staff Allied Forces Northern Europe in 1956 before retiring in 1959.[4]
He lived at West End House in Donhead St Andrew in Wiltshire.[5]
Family[]
He married Barbara Mary Harding‑Newman;[6] they had one son, Major General Sir Simon Cooper.[5]
References[]
- ^ "Obituary: Major-General K. C. Cooper". The Times. 18 September 1981. p. 16.
- ^ "No. 32901". The London Gazette. 25 January 1924. p. 775.
- ^ "No. 33308". The London Gazette. 2 September 1927. p. 5676.
- ^ a b c d Generals.dk
- ^ a b The Peerage.com
- ^ Gooch of London Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
- 1905 births
- 1981 deaths
- British Army generals
- British Army brigadiers of World War II
- Companions of the Order of the Bath
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Fife and Forfar Yeomanry officers
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People educated at Berkhamsted School
- Royal Tank Regiment officers
- Military personnel from Cardiff
- Academics of the Staff College, Camberley
- Royal Corps of Signals officers
- Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley