Kenneth Cooper (British Army officer)
Major-General Kenneth Christie Cooper CB, DSO, OBE (18 October 1905 – 4 September 1981) was a senior British Army officer who commanded 7th Armoured Division.[1]
Kenneth Cooper | |
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Birth name | Kenneth Christie Cooper |
Born | 18 October 1905 Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales |
Died | 4 September 1981 (aged 75) Salisbury, Wiltshire, England |
Allegiance | |
Service/ | |
Years of service | 1924–1959 |
Rank | Major-General |
Unit | Royal Corps of Signals |
Commands held | 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry 7th Armoured Brigade 7th Armoured Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
Military career
Educated at Berkhamsted School, Cooper was commissioned into the 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Signals Regiment in 1924[2] and then transferred to the Royal Tank Corps in 1927.[3] 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.[4] His last war-time role was as Commander of 7th Armoured Brigade in Italy from 1945.[4] He was appointed Brigadier, Royal Armoured 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.[4] 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.[4]
He lived at West End House in Donhead St Andrew in Wiltshire.[5]
Family
He married Barbara Mary Harding‑Newman;[6] they had one son, Major General Sir Simon Cooper.[5]
References
- "Obituary: Major-General K. C. Cooper". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 18 September 1981. p. 16.
- "No. 32901". The London Gazette. 25 January 1924. p. 775.
- "No. 33308". The London Gazette. 2 September 1927. p. 5676.
- Generals.dk
- The Peerage.com
- Gooch of London Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
External links
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by Charles Jones |
GOC 7th Armoured Division 1953–1956 |
Succeeded by John Hackett |