Pamela Cooper
Encyclopedia
Pamela Margaret Cooper was a British courtier, campaigner for refugees, and a supporter of the Palestinian people
.
in London
, into an upper-middle-class family. Her father, Rev (later Canon) Arthur Henry Fletcher, was a scion of a family of Church of Ireland
clergymen from County Waterford
; her mother was Alice Hodgson. After her birth, the family all moved to Merrow
, near Guildford
, where her father became rector
. He served as an Army chaplain
in the France during the First World War. Her education at Guildford High School
was interrupted when her father was sent to become a minister in Sanremo
on the Italian Riviera
, posted there for his health.
Although her family called her "Frog", she became a well-known beauty in London society in the 1930s, with dazzling blue eyes. She met Patrick Hore-Ruthven
during a stag hunt
on Exmoor
in 1932; he had been rusticated
from Cambridge University due to a youthful indiscretion - he had bitten a policeman's nose. Their mutual lack of money delayed matters, but they were married at Westminster Abbey
on 4 January 1939, with her father officiating. Their first son, Alexander Patrick Greysteil, was born on 26 November 1939.
Her husband was an officer in the Rifle Brigade, and was posted to Cairo
after the outbreak of the Second World War. Leaving her infant son with her parents in Dublin, she followed her husband to Cairo, where she became friends with Freya Stark
and Jacqueline Lampson, and worked in Intelligence with the Brotherhood of Freedom. She returned to Ireland
in 1942, where she gave birth to their second son, Malise
. Her husband, by then ranked Temporary Major and serving with the newly-created SAS
, died in an Italian hospital in north Africa on 24 December 1942, from wounds sustained in a raid against a fuel dump near Tripoli
.
Her father-in-law served as Governor-General of Australia
from 1936 to 1945. He was created Baron Gowrie in 1939, and then Earl of Gowrie
in 1945. His widowed daughter-in-law was styled the Viscountess Ruthven of Canberra from 1945 to 1952. She lived with her father-in-law at Windsor Castle, where he was Deputy Governor, and was an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber
to Queen Elizabeth
from 1948 to 1951.
She met Major Derek Cooper
in 1949. He had served with the Second Household Combined Regiment in Europe during the Second World War, and then with the Life Guards
in Palestine, where he won the Military Cross
and developed strong feelings for the plight of the Palestinian Arabs. The couple fell in love, but he was married to another person. He petitioned for divorce, but Princess Alice
disapproved of her proposed marriage to a divorcee, and the Earl of Athlone
, Princess Alice's husband, was colonel of Cooper's regiment. Major Cooper resigned his commission, and his prospective new wife left Windsor. They married on 30 July 1952.
The Coopers moved to Dunlewey in County Donegal
, living there until 1974. Both enjoyed skiing
, 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 Wiltshire
in later life.
The Coopers took up charitable activities. They gave aid to refugees who had escaped across the Danube
from Hungary
during the 1956 revolution, joining a Save the Children
relief team at Andau
in Austria
. They spent over a year in northern Jordan
in 1960-1, assisting Palestinian refugees in camps near Irbid
. They 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. In the 1970s and 1980s, they repeatedly travelled to the Middle East
to work in Palestinian refugee camps. They conducted a survey of the conditions of Palestine refugees for the International Committee for Palestine Human Rights in 1975. 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.
Cooper's elder son succeeded her father-in-law as 2nd Earl of Gowrie in 1955, and was later a minister in Margaret Thatcher
's Conservative
government. Her younger son, Malise, is an author.
She wrote a memoir, A Cloud of Forgetting, in 1993.
She died in Amesbury
in Wiltshire. She was survived by her second husband, who died on 19 May 2007.
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...
.
Biography
She was born in ChelseaChelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, into an upper-middle-class family. Her father, Rev (later Canon) Arthur Henry Fletcher, was a scion of a family of Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
clergymen from County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
; her mother was Alice Hodgson. After her birth, the family all moved to Merrow
Merrow, Surrey
The village of Merrow, in Surrey, England, lies on the north-east corner of Guildford. It is about two miles from the town centre, right on the edge of the ridge of hills that forms the North Downs. Although now a relatively anonymous suburb, the village can trace its origins back many hundreds of...
, near Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, where her father became rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. He served as an Army chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
in the France during the First World War. Her education at Guildford High School
Guildford High School
Guildford High School is an all girls independent school not far from Guildford High Street, on London Road, Guildford, Surrey. It works closely with the Royal Grammar School. It houses a junior and senior school, and a sixth-form college...
was interrupted when her father was sent to become a minister in Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
on the Italian Riviera
Italian Riviera
The Italian Riviera, or Ligurian Riviera is the narrow coastal strip which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines...
, posted there for his health.
Although her family called her "Frog", she became a well-known beauty in London society in the 1930s, with dazzling blue eyes. She met 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...
during a stag hunt
Stag hunt
In game theory, the stag hunt is a game which describes a conflict between safety and social cooperation. Other names for it or its variants include "assurance game", "coordination game", and "trust dilemma". Jean-Jacques Rousseau described a situation in which two individuals go out on a hunt. ...
on Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
in 1932; he had been rusticated
Rustication (academia)
Rustication is a term used at Oxbridge to mean being sent down or expelled temporarily. The term derives from the Latin word rus, countryside, to indicate that a student has been sent back to their family in the country, or from medieval Latin rustici, meaning "heathens or barbarians"...
from Cambridge University due to a youthful indiscretion - he had bitten a policeman's nose. Their mutual lack of money delayed matters, but they were married at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
on 4 January 1939, with her father officiating. Their first son, Alexander Patrick Greysteil, was born on 26 November 1939.
Her husband was an officer in the Rifle Brigade, and was posted to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
after the outbreak of the Second World War. Leaving her infant son with her parents in Dublin, she followed her husband to Cairo, where she became friends with Freya Stark
Freya Stark
Dame Freya Madeline Stark, Mrs. Perowne, DBE was a British explorer and travel writer. She wrote more than two dozen books on her travels, which were mainly in Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan....
and Jacqueline Lampson, and worked in Intelligence with the Brotherhood of Freedom. She returned to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1942, where she gave birth to their second son, 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...
. Her husband, by then ranked Temporary Major and serving with the newly-created SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, died in an Italian hospital in north Africa on 24 December 1942, from wounds sustained in a raid against a fuel dump near Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
.
Her father-in-law served as Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
from 1936 to 1945. He was created Baron Gowrie in 1939, and then 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,...
in 1945. His widowed daughter-in-law was styled the Viscountess Ruthven of Canberra from 1945 to 1952. She lived with her father-in-law at Windsor Castle, where he was Deputy Governor, and was an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber
Woman of the Bedchamber
In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of Lady-in-Waiting...
to Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
from 1948 to 1951.
She met Major Derek Cooper
Derek Cooper
Major George Derek Cooper OBE MC was a British Army officer, campaigner for refugees, and supporter of the Palestinian people.-Early life and career:...
in 1949. He had served with the Second Household Combined Regiment in Europe during the Second World War, and then 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...
in Palestine, where he won 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....
and developed strong feelings for the plight of the Palestinian Arabs. The couple fell in love, but he was married to another person. He petitioned for divorce, but 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 her proposed marriage to a divorcee, and the Earl of Athlone
Earl of Athlone
The title of Earl of Athlone has been created three times. It was created first in the Peerage of Ireland in 1692 by King William III for the Dutch General Baron Godard van Reede, Lord of Ginkel, to honour him for his successful battles in Ireland. The title also had the subsidiary title of Baron...
, Princess Alice's husband, was colonel of Cooper's regiment. Major Cooper resigned his commission, and his prospective new wife left Windsor. They married on 30 July 1952.
The Coopers moved to Dunlewey in County Donegal
County 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 skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, 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 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 charitable 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
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
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...
. They 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. 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. They conducted a survey of the conditions of Palestine refugees for the International Committee for Palestine Human Rights in 1975. 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.
Cooper's elder son succeeded her father-in-law as 2nd Earl of Gowrie in 1955, and was later a minister in Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government. Her younger son, Malise, is an author.
She wrote a memoir, A Cloud of Forgetting, in 1993.
She 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. She was survived by her second husband, who died on 19 May 2007.