Author: john

COOPER, Samuel

13206 Pte 7 Bn East Yorks Regt. Wounded on 1/6/1916 during the first day of the Battle of the  Somme.  The following from relations: – “He was shot through the hand when they went over the top on the first afternoon.  Apparently he arrived in the German trenches without his rifle and fought with his trenching tool.  He said that there were many spare rifles lying around, and he picked one up so that he didn’t get into trouble for losing his”.

Sitting with a Robert Draycott standing

His second wound, which ended his combat duty, was on 21/4/1917.  He was the only survivor of a three man Lewis gun party when a shell landed in the trench but he was protected because he was on a firing step cut into the trench wall. He later volunteered to go back as a stretcher bearer, hence his second service number; 134999 R.A.M.C.  b 1890 Barnfield, Hathersage, son of James Cooper b Hathersage, a hackle pin grinder, and brother of Joseph & William. 1911C; living at Sheffield.

We have a copy of a photo from Chris Hobbs’ website of him seated with a Robert Draycott (standing).

From C Hobbs’ website; “On July 1st 1916, my Great Grandfather, Private Sam Cooper, was with the 7th Battalion, The East Yorkshire Regiment opposite the town of Fricourt. To the north were the British lines, including many of the ‘Pals’ regiments, to the east were the French army. From going over the top, I believe the regiment lost around 123 killed and wounded in 3 minutes or so. Fricourt was the first part of the British line where the British broke through and, on July 2nd, Sam’s battalion reached Fricourt Wood, which had been heavily shelled by the British and largely destroyed; they found a single tree that had survived the carnage largely undamaged, and some of them cut a branch as a good luck token. Sam carried this with him for the rest of the war, surviving going over the top 21 times, though being wounded twice and ending the war in the medical corps. The stick has been made into a swagger stick, complete with silver 1916 3d piece in the handle. The stick bears a couple of small scars from shrapnel and has now been passed on to my son, along with Sam’s campaign medals and other memorabilia.

COOPER, Randall

✟ ≠ M.G. Sgt 12/336 B Coy, Y & L (Sheffield City Battalion).  He was a student at the University of Sheffield living at Derwent House, Grindleford when he enlisted in the City Battalion on 10/9/1914. He was regularly promoted and was quite young to become a sergeant on 26/7/1915 with less than a year’s service, age 20. The battalion served in Egypt before going to France on 10/3/1916.  His service record survives and give some details of his family and military career. KIA 1/7/1916 (first day of the Battle of the Somme). Buried in Queens Cemetery, Puisieux, Pas de Calais, France. Remembered on Grindleford War Memorial. b 1895 Padley, Hathersage to George & Florence Cooper.

COOPER, David

ă  15966 Pte. 12 Vet Hospital. In the Absent Voter’s list of 1919 his address given as; Back Lane Top, Hathersage, (his mother’s address). b 1875 Hathersage, son of David Cooper (died 1902) and Elizabeth Darvill. who were living at Newtown, Hathersage in 1901C. David junior moved about, living in Sheffield with his uncle in 1901C and later at Baslow Road, Bakewell when he died in September 1940. Buried in Hathersage churchyard.

COOKES, Cyril

Bdr 123582 RGA  Anti-Aircraft Coy.  b 1880 Sheffield. 1911C in Sheffield, a cashier. His daughter Constance was b1906 at Hathersage.

COOK, Wilfred

M2/101239 A S C. M/271594 Pte 223rd Ambulance, R.A.M.C.  b 1883 Hemingbrough, Yorks. 1911C living at ‘Bungalow’, Jaggers Lane, Hathersage, a coachman (medical). Possibly for local GP Dr Lander, who lived almost opposite at ‘The Hollies’, Castleton Road.

COATES, Joseph

166986 Gnr R G A.  (DC. 7/9/1918; listed as L/Cpl., R.G.A. of Hathersage ’been home on leave’).  b 1885 Ashbourne.  He may have been the local policeman. Joseph Coates seemed to have served all over Derbyshire but some correspondence was sent to the Police Station Bamford.

CLAUDET, Frederick Herbert Bontemps

2469 Pte (Northumberland Artillery?) later A/Cpl Honourable Artillery Co. Wounded March 1915, He was given a Commission 2/Lt R F A 12/7/15, on coming out of hospital in Sheffield, where he met and later married John Capron’s sister ‘Dosy’ (see above). b 1889 Hampstead, living at Hove, Sussex at the time of his marriage in 1916. Brother of Bertram Claudet who also served.