Kenneth Cooper (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Major-General Kenneth Christie Cooper CB
DSO
OBE
(1905-1981) was a British Army
officer who commanded 7th Armoured Division.
in 1927. 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. His last war-time role was as Commander of 7th Armoured Brigade in Italy
from 1945. He was appointed Brigadier, Royal Amoured 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. 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.
He lived at West End House in Donhead St Andrew in Wiltshire
.
).
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
OBE
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...
(1905-1981) 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 who commanded 7th Armoured Division.
Military career
Educated at Berkhamsted School, Cooper was commissioned into the 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Signals Regiment in 1924 and then transferred to the Royal Tank CorpsRoyal Tank Regiment
The Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is made up of two operational regiments, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment...
in 1927. He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956 when it was amalgimated with the Scottish Horse....
from October 1941, as a General Staff Officer with IX Corps in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
from 1942 and as a Brigadier on the General Staff at Allied Force Headquarters from 1943. His last war-time role was as Commander of 7th Armoured Brigade in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from 1945. He was appointed Brigadier, Royal Amoured Corps at Northern Command
Northern Command (United Kingdom)
-Nineteenth century:The District Commands of the British Army in Great Britain and Ireland first appear in print in 1840, at which time Northern Command was held by Maj-Gen Charles James Napier, appointed in 1838. During his time the troops stationed within Northern Command were frequently deployed...
in 1947, Chief of Staff at West Africa Command
West Africa Command
-History:After the First World War, military forces in the four British West African colonies were under the control of the individual colonial governments. "The regiments of the four colonies were all under the umbrella of the Royal West African Frontier Force...
in 1948 and Assistant commandant of the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1952. He went on to be General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
7th Armoured Division in 1953 and Chief of Staff Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe was the most northern NATO command located at Kolsås outside Oslo. It was part of Allied Command Europe from around 1952 to 2003...
in 1956 before retiring in 1959.
He lived at West End House in Donhead St Andrew 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...
.
Family
He married Barbara Mary Harding‑Newman; they had one son (Major-General Sir Simon CooperSimon Cooper
Major-General Sir Simon Christie Cooper GCVO was Major-General commanding the Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District and later Master of the Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom...
).