No.J/9671, Able Seaman, Frank COOPER
Aged 19
seems not to have left UK shores, so no medals
HMS Dido, Royal Navy
Died at Home on Thursday 8th March 1917
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Frank Cooper was born in Swaffham Bulbeck on 29th July (Newmarket Q3-1893 3b:504), son of Nathan and Fanny COOPER (née HANCOCK).
1901 census...Aged 7, he was at Town Street, Bottisham with his father Nathan COOPER [41] shepherd; his mother Fanny [38] and sisters Nellie [11] and Emily [9]. All were born in Swaffham Bulbeck 1911 census...Aged 17, he was in the Royal Navy at Portland. His father had died in 1909. His mother and brother Frederick Albert [4] born Bottisham, were at Cambridge Road, Bottisham. |
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HMS Dido was the only Eclipse class cruiser not to see active service during the First World War. She had been converted to act as a depot ship before the
war, and served as a depot ship for the destroyer flotillas at Harwich through the war. From 1914 to 1915 she supported the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, from 1915
to 1917 the 9th Flotilla and from then until the end of the war the 10th Flotilla.
Frank enlisted as a boy entrant on 27th September 1910 at HMS Ganges (shore base at Shotley). He gave his date of birth as 29th July 1893 at Swaffham Bulbeck,
a farm labourer, 5 feet 8 inches (172.7 cm)tall, chest 35" (88.9 cm), hazel eyes, dark hair. His time in the Navy seems to have been mostly confined to training at shore bases. Ganges 27-9-1910 as Boy II until 6-1-1911, then to Hannibal and made Boy 1st on 12-1-1911. Then on 28-2-1911 he was at Mars, until 18-5-1911 when he went to PembrokeI. There he made Ordinary Seaman on 4-9-1911 and moved on to Dido until 9-5-1912 when he returned to Pembroke I. on 28-5-1912 he arrived at Blenheim and was promoted to Able Seaman on 8-6-1913. He then returned to Pembroke I on 6-12-1913 and on 23-3-1914 was with Dido . Here his record is almost illegible but seems to indicate service at sea from March 1914 on HMS "Laforey", one of the destroyers serviced by Dido. Returning to Pembroke I on 28-10-1914 and Dido on 18-11-1914. The last entries are too faint to read, but he was invalided out of the Navy with TB on 25th November 1914. This would seem to indicate that he was unlikely to have served at sea on active duty, hence no medals His death is registered Newmarket Q1-1917 3B:754. He is buried in Bottisham in the family grave and although his death certificate confirms details on his Navy records regarding TB, it seems he contracted the disease before the outbreak of the war,thus precluding recognition by the CWGC.
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