COUPER, Alfred James
| Service Number: | 2340 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 8th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Brunswick, Moreland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Cabinetmaker |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Jul 1915: | Involvement Private, 2340, 8th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1915: | Embarked Private, 2340, 8th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne |
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Alfred James Couper was born around October-November 1891 in Brunswick, Victoria. His father was John Couper, and his brother was Leslie Couper. He was married to Marion Couper, and had two children, at the age of nine and seven when he enlisted for war.
Three years before the war he left his wife and children and moved to Kensington, South Australia. He was a cabinetmaker and his religion was Presbyterian.
Alfred James Couper enlisted on May 14th, 1915. He was believed to be 23 years and 7 months old, however a letter addressed to a person similar to him under the name of “Alfred Ernest Couper” suggested he may have been 32 years old at that time.
He was 5 feet and 5.5 inches tall when enlisting, and his service number was 2340. Alfred was part of the 7th reinforcement for the 8th battalion, and embarked on the HMAS Demosthenes A64 on 16th July 1915.
He may have lied about his age and name, as in quite a few documents he is labelled as Alfred Ernest Couper, but registered as Alfred James Couper. His age also varies from 23 year and 7 months to 27 years and even 32 years.
Alfred James Couper was hospitalised on 30 December 1915 in Ghezireh because of a disease called Febricula, a type of enteric fever, which is a short, mild fever. He was discharged from hospital 16th January 1916.
He obtained a septic, infected hand during 1917 and was then hospitalised again on 4th November 1918 because of Influenza in Heliopolis. He also suffered from tachycardia and arrhythmia, which both involve a fast, irregular heart rate.
The battles that Alfred J Couper participated in are unspecified. However, the battles that his battalion participated in are as listed below.
The 8th Battalion was part of the second wave on the assault of ANZAC Cove. However, Alfred J Couper did not join the war until around August 1915.
The battalion then moved from ANZAC Cove to Cape Helles to help support the attack on Krithia, which killed almost a third of the battalion, while gaining little ground. The battalion then returned to ANZAC Cove to help defend the area. The battalion stayed at ANZAC Cove until December when the ANZAC forces retreated from the area.
The battalion returned to Egypt after retreating from the battle, and in March 1916 sailed for France and the Western Front. The battalions first major battle was at Pozieres in the Somme Valley during July 1916. Then the battalion fought at Ypres in Flanders, and went back to the Somme Valley for winter.
In 1917 the battalion helped in the battle that forced the Germans to withdraw to the Hindenburg Line, and then went to Belgium to help in the large offensive battle to the east of Ypres.
In March and April 1918 the battalion helped stop the Germans from gaining ground, and helped the Allies progress near Amiens on 8 August 1918.
The battalion kept operating throughout the war until around late September 1918. It is presumed that Alfred J Couper would have participated in nearly all of the above mentioned battles, as he would have arrived during the time around ANZAC Cove.
He was away from the battle during the time after retreating to Egypt from ANZAC Cove. As he was hospitaled in Ghezireh, which is in Egypt, he presumably fell ill after arriving back at Egypt.
The last time he was hospitalised the war had a week left. However, the battalion had stopped participating in battles at that point, so he would not have been pulled out of a battle.
Alfred J Couper survived throughout the whole war. He was discharged from hospital on 6th December 1918 and was awarded three medals, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914-1915 Medal (awarded to those who enlisted during 1914 or 1915.)
Alfred J Couper showed ANZAC spirit by staying with his battalion throughout the war, and by staying with his comrades and fighting and defending Australia.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
National Archives of Australia Website 2016, Service Record, Ms DiBenedetto, Canberra, accessed 8 March 2016, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3431357
AIF Project 2016, Alfred James Couper, Ms DiBenedetto, Canberra, accessed 8 March 2016, https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=64199
Australian War Memorial 2016, First World War Embarkation Rolls, Ms DiBenedetto, Canberra, accessed 8 March 2016, https://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1838320/
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