Maurice Cooper
Encyclopedia
Captain Maurice Lea Cooper was a World War I
flying ace
credited with six aerial victories.
Although Irish-born, Cooper was educated in York.
He joined the Royal Naval Air Service
on 29 April 1917 and was commissioned a Flight Sub-Lieutenant. He was posted to 13 Naval Squadron to fly a Sopwith Camel
. He destroyed an enemy two-seater on 5 December 1917, aided by fellow aces John Pinder
, George Chisholm MacKay
, and John Paynter
. On 29 January 1918, aided by MacKay, Paynter, John Edmund Greene
, and Leonard Slatter
, he destroyed a seaplane. On 12 March 1918, Cooper shared another victory with Greene, MacKay, and another pilot. On 1 April, Cooper flamed a German two-seater seaplane at Zeebrugge
, killing M. R. Behrendt and D. R. Hauptvogel. On 7 July 1918, he, Charles Sims
, and four other pilots drove down an Albatros D.V
. On the 30th, he drove down another D.V at Bruges
. That made his tally four enemy planes destroyed, three of which were shared wins, and two driven down out of control, one of which was shared.
During this string of triumphs, he had become a flight commander, and won a Distinguished Flying Cross on 15 June 1918. However, his luck ran out on 2 October 1918. While bombing an enemy troop train, he was hit by ground fire and spun in to his death.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with six aerial victories.
Although Irish-born, Cooper was educated in York.
He joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
on 29 April 1917 and was commissioned a Flight Sub-Lieutenant. He was posted to 13 Naval Squadron to fly a Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
. He destroyed an enemy two-seater on 5 December 1917, aided by fellow aces John Pinder
John Pinder (aviator)
Captain John William Pinder DFC was a World War I flying ace credited with 17 confirmed aerial victories.After the war, Pinder was an aviation pioneer in South America. In August 1920, he was part of a group attempting the first flight between Brazil and Buenos Aires. Pinder teamed with Brazilian...
, George Chisholm MacKay
George Chisholm MacKay
George Chisholm MacKay DFC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 18 victories.-Websites:...
, and John Paynter
John Paynter (aviator)
Captain John De Camborne Paynter was a World War I Royal Naval Air Service flying ace credited with 10 aerial victories. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his valour before being killed in a bombing raid.-Early life:...
. On 29 January 1918, aided by MacKay, Paynter, John Edmund Greene
John Edmund Greene
John Edmund Greene DFC was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 15 victories. Greene was shot down by Carl Degelow on 4 October 1918, but survived to be shot down and killed 10 days later....
, and Leonard Slatter
Leonard Slatter
Air Marshal Sir Leonard Horatio Slatter KBE, CB, DSC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a naval aviator during World War I and a senior Royal Air Force commander during World War II. Slatter ended his career as the commander-in-chief of Coastal Command.-Early life and World War I:Slatter was born in Durban,...
, he destroyed a seaplane. On 12 March 1918, Cooper shared another victory with Greene, MacKay, and another pilot. On 1 April, Cooper flamed a German two-seater seaplane at Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
, killing M. R. Behrendt and D. R. Hauptvogel. On 7 July 1918, he, Charles Sims
Charles Sims (aviator)
Lieutenant Charles John Sims was an English World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories. His most notable victory saw him shoot down an enemy plane that crashed into another, giving Sims a second win...
, and four other pilots drove down an Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
. On the 30th, he drove down another D.V at Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. That made his tally four enemy planes destroyed, three of which were shared wins, and two driven down out of control, one of which was shared.
During this string of triumphs, he had become a flight commander, and won a Distinguished Flying Cross on 15 June 1918. However, his luck ran out on 2 October 1918. While bombing an enemy troop train, he was hit by ground fire and spun in to his death.