Cooper Thomas Albert 195630

Thomas Albert Cooper 195630

Thomas Albert Cooper was born on February 27^th 1895 in the U.S.A.  His parents were Luke and Agnes (McIntosh) Cooper.  The family immigrated to Canada was living in Dummer Township in 1901. By 1911, 16 year-old Thomas was working as a labourer on the farm of Stephen Miles on Lot 7, Concession 5 of the Township. 

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Thomas enlisted in B Company of the 93rd Battalion in Peterborough, Ontario on January 14, 1916.  He was unmarried, employed as a farm labourer and had no previous military experience.  At the time of enlistment he was a month shy of being 21 years of age. He stood 5 foot, 6 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds.  He had a fresh complexion, blue eyes and medium brown hair.  His religion was Methodist.

He sailed with the S.S. Empress of Britain on July 15, 1916. Upon arrival in Britain the 93^rd was broken up and its ranks used to reinforce other Canadian battalions already at the front.  Pte. Cooper was transferred to the 19^th Canadian Battalion.  He arrived in the Canadian Brigade depot in France on September 16^th 1916.  He spent nearly 3 weeks on the base and then left for the 2^nd Entrenching Battalion on October 29^th.  The Entrenching battalion served as a introduction for new recruits to the front and was mainly supplied working parties near the support trenches.  Cooper joined the 19^th Battalion in the trenches on October 3^rd 1916.

Thomas joined the 19^th Battalion in the middle of a week-long attack on the Sugar refinery at Courcellette in what was known as the Somme Offensive.  It is not clear as to whether or not he would have taken part in that assault, as he was so new to the trenches.  He held the front line trenches in the Calonne Sector with his battalion in 4 day rotations, which were 4 days in the front line trenches, 4 days in support and 4 days in the rear.  This routine continued until January 20^th 1917 when the Battalion was withdrawn to Maisnil-les-Ruitz, France for a rest.

Cooper would have been present for the attacks on Vimy Ridge (April 9-12 1917), and joined his battalion in the assault on the ridge and the village of Thelus.  He spent the spring of 1917 holding the ridge.

Pte. Cooper’s next big battle came at Lens (August 15-25).  In this Canadian attack the 19^th Battalion was part of the force that assaulted and captured the Hill 70 and the town of Lens.

Shortly after the assault at Lens, Cooper reported to the No.5 Canadian Filed Ambulance on August 27, 1917 with Pleurisy, a form of respiratory illness.  Then to No.23 Casualty Clearing Station on the 31^st. He stayed at the clearing station until the 23^rd of October, until he had recovered sufficiently and was discharged to duty.

He returned to duty with the 19^th Battalion, on October 03 1917 which had moved into the Ypres sector and preparing to start the Passchendaele campaign.  A little over a month later he traveled to the Base headquarters at Etaples, France and received notice that he was granted permission to return to Canada on grounds of compassionate leave. 

 He returned to the Canadian Camp at West Sandling, England on November 14.  He sailed out of Liverpool, at his own expense, bound for Canada aboard the S.S. Justica on December 07 1917.  His furlough was granted until February 1 1918.  In Canada, he was granted furlough extension to October 30^th 1918 to work on his farm.  He was struck off strength thereafter on compassionate grounds.  Cooper was discharged on December 12, 1918 at Kingston Ontario.

After the war, Thomas Cooper married Ida Margarete Davis of Buckhorn on January 13, 1919 in Warsaw.  In 1921 Thomas, his wife and one-year old son William Albert were renting a house in Dummer. Thomas was employed as a farmer.  He died on August 18, 1970 in Peterborough, Ontario at 75 years of age.

Source:

Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

Library and Archives Canada.  “Soldiers of the First World War 1914-1918.”   online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Accessed December 08 , 2014.

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2013.

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Census of 1901. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2004.

Library and Archives Canada online: (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca), Census of 1911. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 2007.