Description
Military Medal, 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory Medal Trio, 15252 Sergeant Tom Cooper, Yorkshire Regiment, later 32nd Company Machine Gun Corps.
Military Medal officially impressed: “39102 Cpl T. Cooper. 32 / Coy M.G.C.” Neat minor official correction to “32/” of unit.
1915 Star officially impressed: “15252 Pte T. Cooper. York. R.”
Pair officially impressed: “15252 Sjt T. Cooper. York. R.”
With copy service records.
Military Medal award announced in the Supplement to the London Gazette, 28th January 1918.
The date of award suggests being for the Battle of Passchendaele circa October 1917.
Tom first landed for overseas service in Gallipoli, with the 6th Bn Yorkshire Regt (Green Howards) on 14th July 1915.
Following the withdrawal he was posted to France on 2nd July 1916.
He was noted as having been wounded in Action on 17th January 1917, leading to a stay at the 35th Field Ambulance for shrapnel in his back.
Tom joined the Army as a Private, and left the Army after the war, holding the respected rank of Company Sergeant Major and holding the Military Medal for bravery in the field.
The following writeup came with the group by the previous owner:
Tom Cooper was born and lived in Holbeck in Leeds and lived in Leeds, Yorks all his life apart from his military service.
He was born in November 1893 according to his enlistment papers (other records suggest October 1894 but he was baptised on 17th January 1894 along with his older brother Frank), the third son of Thomas and Sarah Jane, lived at Spa Street in the city, but was living 1, Shand Avenue off Jack Lane when he enlisted.
He worked as a Moulder and was a biggish man for that era standing almost 5’10” tall, weighing 140 lbs and with a chest of nearly 38”. He had no previous military experience and was a single man aged nearly 21 years of sallow complexion with brown eyes and hair.
Tom enlisted in Leeds on 11th October 1914 for the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) being posted from the Richmond Depot as No 15252 to the 6th Battalion, a K1 Service Unit, training at Belton Park and eventually becoming part of 32 Brigade in the 11 (Northern ) Division.
Following further training at Witley Camp in Surrey the Brigade sailed from Liverpool on 3rd July 1915 for Gallipoli, via Mudros and Imbros, landing at Suvla Bay “B” Beach on 6th August.
The Battalion was withdrawn in December 1915 to Imbros and then back to Egypt in February 1916.
Whilst in Egypt Pte Cooper transferred to 32 Brigade’s Machine Gun Company in March 1916, later being renumbered 39102, and then in July 1916 the Division was transferred to France where it was needed on the Somme.
Tom’s service papers indicate that he was hospitalised with Scabies in August 1916 and was also Wounded in January 1917, shrapnel wound in his back and treated at 35 Field Ambulance.
He had been promoted in the field to Lance Corporal in October 1916 and by September 1917 had reached the rank of Sgt, having attended the MGC Training School at Camiers in July 1917. His Military Medal was almost certainly awarded for the actions at Paschendaele in October 1917 (Gazetted January 1918).
However in February 1918 he blotted his copybook when he overstayed his UK Leave and was tried by Field General Court Martial, his punishment to be reduced to the rank of Corporal. (This was his second time for in June 1915 he had done the same from Witley Camp when the battalion was on notice for overseas service.) He was soon forgiven only for two weeks later he was an Acting Sergeant and by March 1918 back to full Sergeant. Further promotion to Acting Company Sergeant Major would follow in February 1919.
CSM Cooper was then discharged from the 11th Battalion Machine Gun Corps to the Army Reserve in May 1919 and returned home to his parents at Shand Avenue. By 1921 he married Florence Sharpe in Holbeck Leeds, and in 1939 was working as a Green Grocer in Leeds.
