Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Vincent COOPER

Military Medal

Recommednation: 

'For gallantry during the advance on St MARTIN’S WOOD near FOUCAUCOURT on the 23rd of August, 1918, Pte COOPER volunteered to obtain communication by message and later repaired lines under heavy shell and machine gun fire. He carried the messages forward to an advanced post under direct observation of the enemy who subjected him to heavy machine gun fire, through which he also had to return.'

Major General, Commander 1st Australian Division[1]

 John Cooper came from a family of Ironmongers in Bendigo going back to the 1850s.[2] The Coopers lived in Golden Square and John enlisted in June 1915. Within just two months he landed at Anzac on August 5th as part of a new offensive that became known as the horrific ‘Battle of Lone Pine’.

What was supposed to be a significant demonstration, the battle for Lone Pine, became, next to the landing, the largest and most significant single action fought at Gallipoli by the AIF.

The 2nd Brigade which included John Cooper’s 5th battalion was meant to be held in reserve, however, they were called upon to support as well. The position was secured by the 10th August in what was to become the only victory in a string of failures. The battlefield looked like a slaughterhouse; the cost had been appalling.[3]

Just three weeks after landing on August 5, 1915 John would admitted to the Casualty Clearing Station on Anzac with dysentery and was taken off Gallipoli by hospital ship to England.  He recovered in England however, he did not return to Gallipoli. He waited months in England for the arrival of his 5th battalion still in Egypt, which was now part of the British Expeditionary Force to transition to France.

By June 1916 he was back with the 5th Battalion and was promoted to Lance Corporal in January 1917. Throughout 1917 he suffered from influenza and be on the end of a number of discipline charges. Fortunes would change and at the end of 1917 he was sent to signalling School in England. He would return from training in early August and later in the month undertake his brave deed of delivering important messages to the front line which was recognised by award of a Military Medal.

Three weeks later John was gassed at the front on September 17, 1918. He served through some of the major battles of 1918 which saw the tide of the war turn in favour of the allies.

He would return to Australia in April 1919, nearly four years after enlisting. 

SERVICE DETAILS: 

Service Number: 2295

Born: Kangaroo Flat 

Address on Enlistment: 71 Wade Street, Golden Square  

Occupation: Blacksmith

Age at Enlistment: 21

Enlistment date: June 9, 1915

Embarked: HMAT A40 Ceramic on 25 June 1915

Served: Gallipoli, Egypt & Western Front.

Unit name 6th Reinforcements for 5th Battalion

Final Rank: Private

Fate: Returned to Australia 12 April 1919

Military Medal Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 109
Date: 15 September, 1919

Foucaucourt is a village on the main east-west, Villers Bretonneux to Saint Quentin Road, also known as the Roman Road that ran below the Somme River in Northern France. From early August, 1918 the Australian and Canadian troops supported by freshly arrived American troops were spearheading the drive to push the German forces back to the Hindenburg Line.  

‘Everything was quite calm when suddenly the guns all opened up at once. Behind us there was one continuous roar and flashing of guns in front of us so we could see the shells exploding over where the Germans were’. The above description is by Private Keith Vinicombe of the commencement of the Battle of Chuignes at 4:55am on August 23, 1918.[4]

The 5th Battalion was part of the 2nd Brigade was on the right of the divisions advance, attacked astride the old Roman Road and faced the most serious resistance that morning. [5]

John Cooper volunteered to undertake the perilous task to carry a message forward under a rein of shell and machine gun fire.

The advance was soon blocked by the thickly wooded valley slopes of St Martin’s Wood, about 2 kilometres wide and in parts 1.5 kilometres deep. The Germans machine gunners would put up a solid defence and a number of 5th battalion men took single-handed action to silence Machine guns and were rewarded with bravery medals for their efforts. On this same day Lieutenant Dominic McCarthy would undertake deeds that would earn him what would become known the ‘Super VC’ for his actions in clearing out machine Gun posts and killing 20 and capturing over 40 Germans. 

[1] Service Record entry for John V Cooper SN 2295 https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/records/157591/31  

[2] Bendigo Advertiser, April 15, 1889. P.3

[3] VWMAustralia https://vwma.org.au/explore/campaigns/3          

[4] Australians on the Western Front 1918, Vol 2 David W. Cameron Penguin Viking P. 198.                                                                  

[5] Australians on the Western Front 1918, Vol 2 David W. Cameron Penquin Viking P. 202/203