Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Arthur Cooper was born in Carlton Melbourne, Victoria in December 1886 to John and Elizabeth Cooper. He attended Carlton State School before his family moved to Perth Western Australia. It is unknown if he had any siblings or when the family exactly arrived in Perth.
 
In 1906 John married Ada Jane Hodgkinson in Perth where they had four children. John was employed by the State Railways as a labourer working on the Perth to Kalgoorlie rail line. John and Ada had several addresses recorded in the North Perth area.
 
It was in May 1915 that John aged 28 years, enlisted into the Australian Imperial Forces (A.I.F.) in Kalgoorlie enlisting under an alias name of John Mattheus. The reason for this is unknown however, in June 1915 he signed a statutory declaration declaring his correct name.
 
He undertook training at Blackboy Hill Military Camp Perth where he was attached to 11th Infantry Battalion, allocated to the 7th reinforcements. Embarking aboard H.M.A.T. Karoola A.63 in June 1915 from Fremantle arriving in Egypt. It was in August 1915 that he embarked for the Dardanelles joining 11th Battalion.
 
On reaching the Dardanelles he was admitted to hospital with influenza later re-joining his battalion at Lemnos in November 1915. With the Gallipoli campaign over he returned to Alexandria, Egypt in January 1916. In February 1916 he was transferred to the 51st Infantry Battalion where by now the Australian forces were preparing to embark for the Western Front in France.
 
In June 1916 John with his battalion disembarked at Marseilles France, making their way to the Somme battlefields. The 51st Battalion was involved in the assaults at Pozieres from July to the September of 1916. By March of 1917, 51st Battalion was moved to the frontline near Vaulx-Vraucourt, where John with the battalion was involved in the assault towards Noreuil. By mid-April the battalion was relieved from the frontline in preparation to be sent to Belgium for the Battle of Ypres.
 
It was on the 26th September 1917 during an attack on the Zonnebeke Ridge that John took command of the platoon during an attack after all the NCOs of the platoon had become casualties, where he led them successfully to the objective. He remained in charge during the consolidation, inspiring his men by his fearless conduct under heavy shell fire and machine gun fire. His initiative and example were of conspicuous merit the citation reads.
 
For his conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty he was awarded the Distinguish Conduct Medal for his actions. In October 1917 John was promoted to Lance Corporal.
 
By 1918, 51st Battalion had returned to the Somme from Belgium. By early April the Germans were advancing towards Amiens, with the battalion involved in stalling the German advances at Dernancourt.
 
It was in the early hours of 24th April 1918 that the German offensive was renewed with an assault towards Amiens, where the village of Villers Bretonneux was overrun by the German attack. This attack had exposed a gap in the front line where the delay of an allied counterattack on the village allowed the Germans to dig in, fortifying their positions.
 
It wasn’t until later in the day of the 24th April, that Australian Brigade Commanders devised a counterattack plan of the village. The plan was, for the 15th Brigade to commence their attack on the north side of Villers Bretonneux and the 13th Brigade to commence their attack from the south surrounding the village with the brigades linking up on the eastern side of the village.
 
It was at 10.10pm on that night that the 51st Battalion, part of 13th Brigade commenced their assault to their objective of Monument Wood, between the woods of Bois d’Aquenne on the left and the village of Cachy of their right. They had to reach their objective by 11pm.
 
Immediately as the 51st Battalion commenced their attack they came under heavy machine gun fire on their left flank from the woods of Bois d’Aquenne, which caused numerous casualties to the ranks of the 51st. The woods were cleared of the machine guns but again they were halted by barb wire entanglement at a position called the Cachy Switch Trench.
 
It was at this location that men from the 51st and 52nd battalion pushed through the barb wire entanglement, it was here that John was killed from a German machine gun burst, that was firing down the line of the barb wire where the 51st suffered its heaviest casualties.
 
John was later buried on the battlefield and in 1920 he was re-interned into the Adelaide Cemetery, Villers Bretonneux. He was 31 years of age, recorded as killed in action on 25th April 1918.
 
His family had a personal inscription engraved on his headstone,
 
We have lost but heaven has gained one of the best the world contained.
 
In 2017 his grandchildren dedicated a memorial plaque in his memory on the Honour Avenue of May Drive, Kings Park Botanical Gardens, Perth.
 
Lance Corporal John Cooper DCM you have not been forgotten and are remembered with honour.

True name John Cooper but originally enlisted as John Mattheus before reverting back to his true name

Son of John Cooper and Elizabeth Cooper of Carlton Victoria

Husband of Ada Sophia Cooper of Goode Street, Perth South, WA formerly of Newcastle Street, Perth, WA

Medals: Distingusihed Conduct Medal, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal