Cooper, Charles Augustus

54398 Gunner Charles Augustus Cooper - Australian Artillery Details

Charles Augustus Cooper was born on 12th August 1874 in Fremantle WA to George and Sarah Cooper. (Though when he enlisted Charles dropped a few years on his enlistment application saying his birth date was August 12th 1877).

Charles was one of nine siblings born into the Cooper family in Fremantle. He was educated in Fremantle and after leaving school he took up work as a labourer.

Charlie also spent two years serving with the Light Horse in the Citizens Military Forces.

In 1896 he married Clara Withnell in Perth and in 1898 a son called Charles Edward Cooper was born in East Fremantle and a daughter Ethel was born in Rockingham in 1896.

Charles was working as a bus proprietor and the family lived in Hubble Street East Fremantle up to 1911. The family then moved to NSW and in 1913 were living at Redfern before taking up residence in Stanmore. During this time Charlie was working as a Carter.

Charlie tried to enlist in the AIF in 1916 but was found to be medicall fit. On the 15th April 1918 Charlie tried again and enlisted into the AIF. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 5 inches;

Weight - 10 stone 2;

Chest Measurement - 35 & 1/2 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Dark.

After his successful enlistment Charlie was sent to Liverpool Army Camp. He only had a short time here and was assigned to the NSW General reinforcements group. On the 19th June 1918 embarked from Sydney on a troopship. The journey to England took several weeks and the ship arrived in London on the 26th August 1918.

Charles was then marched into the 11th Training Battalion and the following day was assigned to the 30th Battalion reinforcements. However a few weeks later Charles was transferred to the 34th Battalion reinforcements and went to the 9th Training Battalion.

However before he could be sent to France he fell ill and had a few weeks in hospital. When he had recovered Charlie was transferred to the Artillery Details Camp at Fovant.

He again fell ill this time to German measles and the war ended while Charlie was still in hospital. The measles was then compounded with contracting influenza. After recovering Charlie was sent to the convalescent camp and there waited to be assigned a berth on a transport ship home.

Charlie boarded the transport ship Karoa on the 28th March 1919 and sailed back for Australia, reaching Sydney.

Charles was discharged from the AIF on the 24th June 1919.

After the war the Coopers lived in Kensington and then Coogee NSW.

Charles Cooper died in October 1962