My Grandfathers Alfred (Bill) Cooper record

[casademartin]

Could anyone help. I am an ex-pat living in Australia. I am researching my family tree, in particular my Grandad. I have discovered from his employer, Cadbury Bros of Bournville, Birmingham that during the First World War he served in France in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. His details are:

Alfred William Cooper (Bill)
DOB 25/02/1892
Place of Birth: Birmingham.
Started at Cadbury's 29/05/1907
Known address as of: 29/05/1907, 231 Victoria Place High St Stirchley Birmingham
Married: Nellie Gisbourne 1913 Kings Norton, Birmingham.

Thank you in anticipation

Martin

[Baconwallah]

Welcome to the Research section of the RWF Forum, Martin.

The only Alfred William Cooper I can find in the Royal Welch was

Pte Alfred William Cooper 96786. Errand boy, born in 1896, from Peckham, London.

Not your grandfather.

There were also

Pte Alfred Cooper 5846,
Pte Alfred Cooper 60226, cycle maker, born 1880, from Nottingham, later 30643 Border Regt
Pte Alfred Cooper 67919,
Pte Alfred Cooper 93426,

I mention them because it occasionally happened that the middle name was not entered on the Medal Index Card.

Pte 5846 might qualify if he was a Special Reservist; he would have enlisted 08/1914. A man in the Regular Army Reserve with this low number would have been 20 or more years older than your grandfather. His Medal Index Card has him embarking for Gallipoli 28/06/1915, which puts him in the 8th Bn.
Pte 67919 might qualify. Enlistment c.02/1917.
Pte 93426 might also qualify. His number indicates late (c.08/1918) enlistment, possibly as conscript, or late transfer from another regiment.

So far that's all I can find.

John

[ap1]

H.L.Pubx.jpg
Hi Martin, interestingly, we have a picture taken at the Malt Shovel pub in Birmingham of some RWF Comrades at a reunion in the 1950's. The pic includes "Hammer Lane MM"(3rd left) who was a well known member of the regiment from his exploits in the Great War.

The devil is sometimes in the detail Martin. Exactly what detail did Cadburys give you about his RWF service, dates etc. Everything helps.

Many Thanks

[Baconwallah]

Great photo, Al! One minor correction, if I may: Pte John "Hammer" Lane 9198 had the DCM, not the MM. He earned it at Red Dragon Crater.

John

[ap1]

Thanks John, Im aware of his action that day, but thought it was an MM. Thanks for the correction....What a guy, the smiling avuncular Grandad!!!

[ap1]

Have a look at this thread started by JCJ, in particular Dons post regarding the recruitment of men from Birmingham in the Great War:

http://rwf-forum.co.uk/vBulletin/sho...gham-Fusiliers

[Baconwallah]

Hammer always said that he would have had the VC, but for an unfortunate brush with the authorities shortly before the Red Dragon Crater which had resulted in a healthy dose of FP No 1.

Private John "Hammer" Lane 9198 was a Nechells, Birmingham man and a former featherweight boxing champion of India; in 1917 he would win the Second Army Championship. He was nicknamed "Hammer" after his father James, a well-known Birmingham bare-knuckle boxer. Lane survived the war. His medals were always in the pawnshop, but he invariably got them out on Armistice Day. After his wife died, he reverted to his old army habits and cooked his food in a dixie. He died in 1959. The family draped a British flag over his coffin, as he had wished. [From the annotated edition of Old Soldiers Never Die)

Returning to the original problem, there were also 11 men named William Cooper on their MICs. Bill may also have been one of those.

John

[casademartin]

Hi, thank you so much for your interest. The information they A.W Cooper Retirement.jpgA W Cooper obitury.jpgprovided is on the attached image. Martin

[Baconwallah]

We have very little to go on. Just the name, and 'fought in France".

Next week I'll be happy to list the Williams for you, Martin, but as for which one of them (or the Alfreds) was your grandfather, your guess is as good as mine.

John

[casademartin]

thank you so much John,
I feel very sad that, having served in a theatre of war his memory is so faded.
Being in 'maintance of machinery' is the only possible link I can think of -presuming his skills were used in his area of expertise.
Martin