Cooper, John (Oral history)

British NCO served with Royal Flying Corps Wireless Section in GB, Mesopotamia and Palestine, 1916-1919; present at siege of Kut-el- Amara, 1916

REEL 1: Pre-war employment as telegraphist with Post Office, 1913-1915; story of enlisting with Royal Flying Corps Wireless Section, 1915. Aspects of training with Royal Flying Corps in GB, 1915: description of training at Farnborough and British Wireless School of Telegraphy; story of being posted to Mesopotamia and issued with tropical uniform; description of journey to Mesopotamia via Malta and Egypt, 1916. Recollections of operations with Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, 1916-1919: attached to battery of 60-pounders near Basra and description of role; story of contracting malaria and nature of treatment; attached to 2/56th Bde at Kut-el-Amara; question of using Casualty Clearing Station as ammunition dump and Turkish shelling; description of siege of garrison at Kut and problem of food shortages; story of food supplies coming in by barge; role in 24-hour monitoring of messages from garrison at Kut; memory of final despatch from garrison prior to surrender, 4/1916; description of role as signaller between aircraft and artillery battery; question of aircraft being able to transmit but not receive messages and use of white strips on ground as signals; story of destruction of Turkish minaret being used as observation post; attached to 2/86th Bty of 18-pounders and description of duties; memory of extreme heat; story of contracting dysentery and nature of treatment in Mesopotamia and India; posted to Ramallah, Palestine, and description of duties with RAF observation balloons, 1918; problem of further bout of dysentery and nature of treatment; amusing story of eating biscuits and chocolate; posted to RAF aerodrome near Bethlehem; memory of visit to Jerusalem; story of demobilization and return to GB, 1919. Aspects of post-war life and employment with Post Office. Aspects of operations as NCO with RAF in GB, 1939-1945: story of joining RAF Volunteer Reserve and mobilization, 8/1939; posted to RAF Hemswell and nature of duties; description of role as aircraft recognition instructor; discharged from RAF on medical grounds, 1945.