Derek Cooper
Encyclopedia
Major George Derek Cooper OBE
MC
(28 May 1912 - 19 May 2007) was a British Army
officer, campaigner for refugees, and supporter of the Palestinian people
.
in Kent
. He was the third of four children of Captain George Stanley Cooper and his wife, Clara Tilling. The family were comfortably wealthy - the Coopers family were printers, and the Tillings owned a substantial omnibus
company. His father was killed in Jhansi
in India
in 1915, while serving with the Royal West Kent Regiment.
He was educated at Kent House School in Eastbourne
and then Eastbourne College
. His mother married one of his father's fellow officers from India, Major George Dominic Heyland. The family moved to his estate in County Londonderry
.
Cooper failed an eyesight test and so was unable to join the Royal Navy
as he wished. Instead, he became an apprentice civil engineer
in 1930, working in Greenwich
for the Tilbury Contracting and Dredging Company. He was sent to Palestine in 1932, where a new harbour was being built at Haifa
. He became a Special Constable
in the Palestine Police, but returned to Ireland when the project was finished in 1934. His stepfather had died, and he ran the estate at Ballintemple.
He married Pamela Armstrong-Lushington-Tulloch in 1937. They had one daughter, Jennifer-June (born 1939), and one son, Michael (born 1944). His daughter married Jeremy Browne
(later 11th Marquess of Sligo
).
as a reservist in October 1936. He was mobilised on 2 September 1939, and worked on the project to build field defences
against the expected Nazi invasion in 1940. Having volunteered to join the Second Household Cavalry Regiment, he landed in Normandy on 13 July 1944, serving in France, Belgium, and at the battle for Nijmegen bridge on the road to Arnhem
. He remained in Europe until 1946, when he was posted to Egypt with the Life Guards
.
He was transferred to Palestine in 1947. He was awarded the Military Cross
in 1948 for his service defending the Arab population in Jaffa
from the advancing Yishuv
forces, in the weeks after the Deir Yassin massacre
. Most of the Arabs in Jaffa left with the British forces when they withdrew on 10 May 1948. He returned with his regiment to Germany, where he served as second-in-command.
He met Pamela, Viscountess Ruthven of Canberra
, widow of Major The Hon. Patrick Hore-Ruthven
, in 1949. She retained the noted beauty of her youth, and he sported a cavalry officer's moustache. The couple fell in love, and he petitioned his first wife for divorce. Princess Alice
disapproved of the proposed marriage, and the Earl of Athlone, Princess Alice's husband, was colonel of Cooper's regiment. Major Cooper was divorced in 1951, and resigned his commission. His prospective new wife left Windsor, and they married on 30 July 1952. He gained two stepsons, Grey (later 2nd Earl of Gowrie
) and Malise
.
, living there until 1974. Both enjoyed the Irish countryside, and the Donegal "season" centred around Glenveagh Castle
, the summer residence of American art collector Henry McIlhenny, and his friend Derek Hill. They later had a house in Belgravia
, but moved to Tisbury
in Wiltshire
in later life.
The Coopers took up humanitarian relief activities. They gave aid to refugees who had escaped across the Danube
from Hungary
during the 1956 revolution, joining a Save the Children Fund relief team at Andau
in Austria
. They spent over a year in northern Jordan
in 1960-1, assisting Palestinian refugees in camps near Irbid
. King Hussein of Jordan awarded Cooper the Istiqlal Medal for his work.
The Coopers joined a Save the Children relief effort again in 1962, following a major earthquake in Iran
on 1 September which killed around 12,000 people and rendered 22,000 homeless. Following the Six-Day War
, Cooper coordinated the relief efforts of the British Aid to Jordan Fund in Amman
, giving aid to Palestinian refugees. In the 1970s and 1980s, they repeatedly travelled to the Middle East
to work in Palestinian refugee camps. He was awarded the OBE in 1969 for his work in the occupied territories
. They conducted a survey of the conditions of Palestine refugees for Oxfam
in 1973-5 and the International Committee for Palestine Human Rights in 1975-6. The Coopers worked for Oxfam
in Beirut
through the summer of 1982, while the city was besieged by Israeli troops
. They established the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians
in 1984.
His second wife died in Amesbury
in Wiltshire on 13 July 2006. Major Cooper died in the same place less than a year later, shortly before his 95th birthday. He was survived by his son and daughter, and two step sons.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(28 May 1912 - 19 May 2007) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer, campaigner for refugees, and supporter of the Palestinian people
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
.
Early life and career
Cooper was born in BromleyBromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He was the third of four children of Captain George Stanley Cooper and his wife, Clara Tilling. The family were comfortably wealthy - the Coopers family were printers, and the Tillings owned a substantial omnibus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
company. His father was killed in Jhansi
Jhansi
Jhansi Hindi:झाँसी, , Marathi: झाशी, is a historical city of India. Jhansi is the administrative headquarters of Jhansi District and Jhansi Division. The original walled city grew up around its stone fort, which crowns a neighboring rock. This district is on the bank of river Betwa.The National...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1915, while serving with the Royal West Kent Regiment.
He was educated at Kent House School in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
and then Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, situated on the south coast of England, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The College's current headmaster is Simon Davies. The College was founded by the Duke of Devonshire...
. His mother married one of his father's fellow officers from India, Major George Dominic Heyland. The family moved to his estate in County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
.
Cooper failed an eyesight test and so was unable to join the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as he wished. Instead, he became an apprentice civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
in 1930, working in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
for the Tilbury Contracting and Dredging Company. He was sent to Palestine in 1932, where a new harbour was being built at Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. He became a Special Constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...
in the Palestine Police, but returned to Ireland when the project was finished in 1934. His stepfather had died, and he ran the estate at Ballintemple.
He married Pamela Armstrong-Lushington-Tulloch in 1937. They had one daughter, Jennifer-June (born 1939), and one son, Michael (born 1944). His daughter married Jeremy Browne
Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo
Jeremy Ulick Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo , styled Earl of Altamont until 1991, is the 11th, and current, holder of the Marquessate of Sligo, a title created in 1800 in the Peerage of Ireland...
(later 11th Marquess of Sligo
Marquess of Sligo
Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo , Viscount Westport, of Westport in the County of Mayo , Earl of Altamont, in the...
).
Army career
Cooper joined the Irish GuardsIrish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
as a reservist in October 1936. He was mobilised on 2 September 1939, and worked on the project to build field defences
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
against the expected Nazi invasion in 1940. Having volunteered to join the Second Household Cavalry Regiment, he landed in Normandy on 13 July 1944, serving in France, Belgium, and at the battle for Nijmegen bridge on the road to Arnhem
Arnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
. He remained in Europe until 1946, when he was posted to Egypt with the Life Guards
Life Guards (British Army)
The Life Guards is the senior regiment of the British Army and with the Blues and Royals, they make up the Household Cavalry.They originated in the four troops of Horse Guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards which were raised some...
.
He was transferred to Palestine in 1947. He was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
in 1948 for his service defending the Arab population in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
from the advancing Yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
forces, in the weeks after the Deir Yassin massacre
Deir Yassin massacre
The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the Irgun Zevai Leumi and Lohamei Herut Israel Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, a Palestinian-Arab village of roughly 600 people...
. Most of the Arabs in Jaffa left with the British forces when they withdrew on 10 May 1948. He returned with his regiment to Germany, where he served as second-in-command.
He met Pamela, Viscountess Ruthven of Canberra
Pamela Cooper
Pamela Margaret Cooper was a British courtier, campaigner for refugees, and a supporter of the Palestinian people.-Biography:...
, widow of Major The Hon. Patrick Hore-Ruthven
Patrick Hore-Ruthven
Major The Honourable Alexander Hardinge Patrick Hore-Ruthven was a British soldier and poet.Hore-Ruthven was born in Quetta in India. He was the only surviving child of Alexander Hore-Ruthven and his wife, Zara Eileen née Pollok.He studied at Cambridge University from 1931...
, in 1949. She retained the noted beauty of her youth, and he sported a cavalry officer's moustache. The couple fell in love, and he petitioned his first wife for divorce. Princess Alice
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the longest-lived Princess of the Blood Royal of the British Royal Family and the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria...
disapproved of the proposed marriage, and the Earl of Athlone, Princess Alice's husband, was colonel of Cooper's regiment. Major Cooper was divorced in 1951, and resigned his commission. His prospective new wife left Windsor, and they married on 30 July 1952. He gained two stepsons, Grey (later 2nd Earl of Gowrie
Earl of Gowrie
Earl of Gowrie is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ruthven family. It takes its name from Gowrie, a historical region and ancient province of Scotland. On 23 August 1581 William Ruthven,...
) and Malise
Malise Ruthven
Malise Ruthven is an Irish academic and writer. He was born in Dublin of Irish-British parentage. He obtained an MA in English Literature at Cambridge University, before working as a scriptwriter with the BBC Arabic and World Service, and a consultant on Middle Eastern affairs. He also gained a...
.
Humanitarian relief
The Coopers and their family moved to Dunlewey in County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, living there until 1974. Both enjoyed the Irish countryside, and the Donegal "season" centred around Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh Castle is a large castellated Mansion house built in the Scottish Baronial style within Glenveagh National Park, near both Churchill and Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland...
, the summer residence of American art collector Henry McIlhenny, and his friend Derek Hill. They later had a house in Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, but moved to Tisbury
Tisbury, Wiltshire
The large village of Tisbury lies approximately west of Salisbury in the English county of Wiltshire.With a population at the 2001 census of 2,056 it is an important local centre for communities around the upper River Nadder and Vale of Wardour...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in later life.
The Coopers took up humanitarian relief activities. They gave aid to refugees who had escaped across the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
during the 1956 revolution, joining a Save the Children Fund relief team at Andau
Andau
Andau is a village in Burgenland, Austria, near the border of Hungary. It is situated in the flat, lake-studded Seewinkel region which is part of the Little Hungarian Plain.- Name :...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. They spent over a year in northern Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
in 1960-1, assisting Palestinian refugees in camps near Irbid
Irbid
Irbid , known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela , is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate. It also has the second largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman, with a population of around 660,000, and is located about 70 km north of Amman on the northern ridge of...
. King Hussein of Jordan awarded Cooper the Istiqlal Medal for his work.
The Coopers joined a Save the Children relief effort again in 1962, following a major earthquake in Iran
Earthquakes in Iran
Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.- Geology and history :...
on 1 September which killed around 12,000 people and rendered 22,000 homeless. Following the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, Cooper coordinated the relief efforts of the British Aid to Jordan Fund in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, giving aid to Palestinian refugees. In the 1970s and 1980s, they repeatedly travelled to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to work in Palestinian refugee camps. He was awarded the OBE in 1969 for his work in the occupied territories
Israeli-occupied territories
The Israeli-occupied territories are the territories which have been designated as occupied territory by the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and others to refer to the territory seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria...
. They conducted a survey of the conditions of Palestine refugees for Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
in 1973-5 and the International Committee for Palestine Human Rights in 1975-6. The Coopers worked for Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
through the summer of 1982, while the city was besieged by Israeli troops
Siege of Beirut
The Siege of Beirut took place in the summer of 1982, as part of the 1982 Lebanon War, which resulted from the breakdown of the cease-fire effected by the United Nations...
. They established the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians
Medical Aid for Palestinians
Medical Aid for Palestinians is a British charity that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Lebanon and, advocates for the universal right to health.-Aim and history:...
in 1984.
Later life
Cooper published his diary from the Second World War in 1997 under the title Dangerous Liaison. A biography by John Baynes, For Love of Justice: the life of a quixotic soldier was published the same year.His second wife died in Amesbury
Amesbury
Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is in its parish, and for the discovery of the Amesbury Archer—dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the press—in 2002...
in Wiltshire on 13 July 2006. Major Cooper died in the same place less than a year later, shortly before his 95th birthday. He was survived by his son and daughter, and two step sons.