Description
Queen’s South Africa, 4 bars, CC, OFS, Tvl, SA 1901, 2379 Trooper Charles Percy Douglas Cooper, South African Constabulary, came to SA during the war with the SAC, later owned a Hotel.
Officially impressed: “2379 3rd Tpr: C.P.D. Cooper. S.A.C”
Charles Percy Douglas Cooper was born circa 1878 in Derby, Derbyshire.
During the Boer War, the 1901 Census records him living in London, working as a Hotel Clerk whilst living in Norton Folgate by Shoreditch in London.
At the time the SAC were going around the country recruiting men for the unit.
Charles took his chance and signed up, going to South Africa to earn this medal in the Boer War.
Following the end of the war, he seems to have taken a liking to the country as he would remain there for the rest of his life.
On the 28th March 1911 at Johannesburg, he married Kathleen Waterford.
He would live a long life there, dying at the age of 73 on 31st December 1951.
His profession was “Hotel Proprietor” a throwback to his youth when he was a Hotel Clerk in London.
His place of residence was shown as the “Hotel Metropole, Smith Street, Durban” which he looks to have ran.
The Hotel Metropole on Smith Street was built circa 1890s by Frank Manoah Kent. A photograph of the hotel from 1900 from the Natal Witness recalls that it was “A very popular hotel with country travellers, it was situtated in Smith Street East.”
You can see the hotel on Getty Images below:
https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/the-hotel-metropole-in-durban-a-very-popular-hotel-with-news-photo/119525399
