Sgt. COOPER, Harold Edward

Sgt. COOPER, Harold Edward- B72881

B72881 Pte Harold Edward Cooper enlisted with the 48th Highlanders for overseas on 8 Sept 1939 just days after war had been declared. He departed Toronto with the 1st Battalion on 17 December to embark in Halifax on the Reina del Pacifico for convoy to England, arriving on 30 December in the Clyde. During training and defence assignments in England Cooper was promoted, 8 April 41 to LCpl, 30 Oct 41 to Cpl , 17 July 42 to L/Sergeant then Sergeant on 10 March 43. In England he trained on a PT course with the Essex Scottish from 8 June to 30 Aug 41. He married in England on 23 September 1942.

He was platoon Sergeant in D Company in the Sailing List to Sicily – embarked at Gourock, Scotland on 28 June 1943 on Troopship Derbyshire, landing on the beaches at Pachino, Sicily on 9 July. Cooper had 3 bouts of malaria (Aug 43, Oct 43 and Mar 44), contracted in Sicily when the battalion was at rest after the successful campaign. Cooper was away from the battalion three times, two of which were for surgery for acute patella bursitis. (20 Sep 43 to 10 Nov 43 at 15 CGH in Catania, Sicily; 19 Nov 43 to 15 Dec 43 at 5 CGH in Italy and 27 Jan 44 to 7 Feb 44 at 1 CGH in Italy.) He returned each time to the battalion.

On 1 June 44 he was put on the X-9 List (Not available for reinforcement, decision tbd) and eventually returned to Canada, being discharged on 2 June 1945. Once in Toronto Sgt Cooper joined the East York Fire Department.

NOK: Mrs. Madeline Turner, Sister at 294 Soudan Avenue, Toronto then in 1942 Wife – Isobel Florence Cooper, 28 Shipley Road, Leicester.

 

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Unit(s)
48th First Bn (WW 2)
Service number
B72881
Date of attestation
08-Sep-39
Date struck off strength
02-Jun-45
Fate
Released
Linked artifact(s)

Gallery

Data source(s)

Source
Detail
Service Records
Library and Archives Canada - provided by family
Museum Archive Documents
Pt 2 Orders to War Diaries of June and July 43; February and June 44
Regimental History (Vol 3)- Dileas: A History of the 48th Highlanders of Canada 1929–1956
Pages 175 (photo), 196
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