DAVID GARDINER COOPER
3 September 1898 - 9 May 1919
At School 1912 - 1915
Lieut Royal Air Force
David was born in Mobberley, Cheshire and in 1901, aged 2, was living at 1 Lansdown Street, Withington, with father Frederick, a bank clerk, mother Ada, elder brother Frederick and one domestic servant. By 1911, the family had moved to 2 Chretien Road, Northenden with the addition of a younger brother, Stuart. David and Frederick entered School at the same time in September 1912. At School, David won the Under 15 300 yards handicap in 1913 and represented School on the 2nd Football and Lacrosse Teams in 1915.
On leaving School David started work as an Articled Clerk at Parkinson Mather and Co., Chartered Accountants, Clarence Street, Manchester.
David left Parkinson Mather & Co in October 1915 and it appears he enlisted in the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry, having lied about his date of birth, which appears as 3 September 1896 on his service record. Incidentally, the School Admissions book shows his date of birth as 3 September 1899 but in fact it was a year earlier. Thus as an apparent 19 year old he was accepted into the British Army.
After a period of training David proceeded to France on 6 July 1916 and joined the Regiment in the field a few days later. At this time they were based in Dernancourt near Albert, serving in the trenches and providing carrying parties. On the 19th they moved to Beaucourt-sur-l'Hallue, some 11 miles to the west.
The War Diary reports that in August two men were sent to report to Prisoner of War Camps and one to report to base as being under age. It is not known, however, whether David was one of them. The Regiment remained here until the end of January 1917, relatively behind the lines and dealing mainly with administrative duties, traffic control, POW cages, assisting Divisional Signals and attending courses. The Regiment then moved to Ailly-sur-Somme, 5 miles to the west of Amiens, and in mid February moved to Warfusee, some 15 miles east of Amiens and 28 miles west of St Quentin.
Between 9 February and 20 March 1917, the Germans launched Operation Alberich and fell back to their new positions along the Hindenburg Line. They moved 40 km of their existing front line, while laying waste to a huge area of French countryside and destroying anything the enemy might find useful. The Regiment followed the German withdrawal between Peronne and St
Quentin, sending forward patrols to reconnoitre towns and villages. The above picture shows Cavalry crossing the River Somme at Brie in March 1917, who may well be members of the Regiment. Inevitably they ran into German rearguard troops and were fired on and casualties suffered, four other ranks being killed and several more wounded during March and April. In mid May the Regiment moved to Cartigny, some four miles east of Peronne, which was now well behind the front lines, and training was carried out under squadron arrangements.
On 2nd July 1917 orders were received that the Regiment would be dismounted and as a unit would cease to exist and provide drafts for the Manchester Regiment. The Regiment gradually disbanded and at the end of August the remaining men moved to Etaples for infantry training, at which time the Regiment officially ceased to exist. The final entry in the War Diary somewhat poignantly stated: "It is hoped that the drafting of this Regiment and other Corps Cavalry regiments to infantry will benefit the Services, though how this can be so when it is known that thousands of officers and men are still being trained in England for cavalry, it is almost impossible to imagine".
At some time during these last few months, David applied for and received a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps, joining as an officer cadet at South Farnborough on 4th September 1917. On the 26th he transferred to No. 5 Officer Cadet Wing and then to No. 2 Officer Cadet Wing at Carlisle Place, Hastings for basic training. On 10th October he was passed "fit as pilot" by the Medical Board. He transferred to the School of Military Aeronautics on 14th December 1917, where he remained until 8th March 1918. The Cadet Wings and Schools of Military Aeronautics were ground training establishments, all training was on the ground, ranging from theoretical aspects of flight including map reading, gunnery and mechanics through to practical training (e.g. taxiing and artillery observation). With effect from 7th February 1918 David was appointed a temporary 2nd Lieutenant (on probation) and on 8th March 1918 he was transferred to No 17 Training Wing in Hampshire and on 27th March to "Group Pool" awaiting a posting, which took him to No. 7 Group based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. David's appointment as a permanent 2nd Lieut was confirmed on 31st August 1918. On the 24th September he was posted to No 29 Training Depot Station at Beaulieu, Hampshire. It was probable that he had qualified as a pilot by then as, towards the end of the war, training programmes for pilots were taking about 11 months, and he may have been posted as an instructor.
On 28th April 1919, David was posted as a "Scout pilot for duty with Fleet", with No. 29 Group, arriving on 1st May at the Grand Fleet School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery, RAF Station Leuchars, near St. Andrews, Fife, by which time he had been promoted to Lieutenant. Unfortunately only 8 days later he was killed in a flying accident. The Dundee Courier reported the incident:
FATAL END TO ROLLING STUNT
While manoeuvring over Leuchars Aerodrome grounds in a Sopwith Camel machine yesterday forenoon, Lieut David Gardiner Cooper, RAF, age 22, single, crashed to the ground and was killed instantaneously. Deceased was an expert aviator and was performing what is known in flying parlance as the "rolling stunt". It is conjectured that he made a slight miscalculation as to his altitude when the machine took a spin and crashed down being smashed to pieces.
David's body was taken home and he was buried in St Wilfred's Churchyard, Northenden. His memorial was privately erected, a cross on a plinth, the plinth only remaining. The plinth reveals his true age of 20 years.
Administration was granted to Frederick Cooper, bank clerk, on 6th July 1920. Effects £146 8s 6d.
THE HULMEIAN - JULY 1919
Old Hulmeians and the War
Lieutenant D G COOPER, R A F, was killed whilst flying at Leuchars, on May 9th, aged 19. He was at the School from September, 1912, to April, 1915 (Modern Fifth).