8 replies to this topic

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello,
        If anyone is off to Kew and has time, could they please, please photograph the 2nd Dragoons, Scots Greys war diary for me? I would love to see what it has for the first two weeks of Feb 1916. It is not one of the diaries which can be downloaded!!

                             Very many thanks.

                                      Stewart

[gnr.ktrha]

If any one can get a for me, that would be great. I have been in contact with the Regimental Museum in Edinburgh castle and they tell me they do not have a copy, so Kew is my last hope and it is not an easy place to get to from here!

                 Thanks for looking,
                                 Stewart

[sotonmate]

I PM'd you but you are receiving no more messages. Do you need to reduce your file there ?

[gnr.ktrha]

Sorry about that, did not know my inbox was full!

[David Key]

Hi Stewart,

Did you manage to get hold of a copy of the Scots Greys War Diary?

I ask as I have just started looking into the history of (Sir) George James Robertson Cooper and his brother Alastair Robertson Cooper who served in the Scots Greys throughout the War and would be very interested in any references to them.

The regimental museum sent me a reference to 2nd Lt. GJR Cooper being mentioned in Dispatches from the Daily Graphic of 22 October 1914, the Edinburgh Gazette mentions him receiving the Russian Order of St Stainislas 3rd Class in September 1915  and the London Gazette does give some indication of his steady promotion to Lieutenant and then Captain.
Also I believe both may have been wounded (separately ?) late 1917 in early 1918 ? but anything on the brothers, or a chance to trawl through the War Diary myself, would be really helpful.

Cheers
Dave

[sotonmate]

Dave

Is it likely that the brothers served beyond WW1 ? I have searched the NA Catalogue for a service record but none indicated either as Cooper or Robertson Cooper,which might suggest they were still there after 1922 and records not released from the Army as yet.
I am hoping to look at a small part of the Diary for Stewart next week and will take a look here and there,I am unlikely to have time to read it all though !

Sotonmate

[David Key]

sotonmate, on 16 May 2012 - 09:43 PM, said:

Dave

Is it likely that the brothers served beyond WW1 ? I have searched the NA Catalogue for a service record but none indicated either as Cooper or Robertson Cooper,which might suggest they were still there after 1922 and records not released from the Army as yet.
I am hoping to look at a small part of the Diary for Stewart next week and will take a look here and there,I am unlikely to have time to read it all though !

Sotonmate

Hi

Thanks for the offer and I understand it may well be that nothing comes of it, anything you turn up is a bonus, so thanks eitherway

Here's what I know ..

Sir George J R Cooper served in the Royal Scots and was commissioned in 1913 and in 1922 retired with the rank of Captain, The London Gazette has him transfer to the Royal Scots Greys in September 1911
   2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys), Second Lieutenant George James Robertson Cooper,
   from Hampshire (Carabiniers) Yeomany, to be Second Lieutenant (on probation).
   Dated 2nd September, 1911.

His "mention in Dispatches would probably be the most interesting. The reference comes from The Daily Graphic of 22 October 1914 so I'd guess that it related to the Greys role in the retreat from Mons or battle of the Aisne ... but I'm really not sure.

Alastair R Cooper served in the Royal Scots as well and he is listed as Commissioned 1914, retired Rank of Captain 1930. I have a note saying "from Royals, 1919"

Thanks
Dave

[sotonmate]

gnr./DK

Only one page for the period 1 to 19 Feb 1916,so fairly incident-free if all is entered on just the one page. I have a problem at the moment with the file of pics I have downloaded from my camera  and will hopefully retrieve them and send you the pic. No refs to the Coopers for any of Jan or Feb 1916.
Happy to hear of any likely solutions here. I have some of the pics in a recently viewed file and can download one,from which I can then scroll through the whole of the card content,but as yet can't divert them to a file from which I can export them ! I had already downloaded them onto a memory stick,catalogued them to my notes and then deleted the camera card content !!
Answers on less than one sheet of A4 please !

Sotonmate

[gnr.ktrha]

Hello Sotonmate,
   Sorry to hear about your file problems! I don't have a clue how you can sort it! It sounds like my chap was wounded on the 5th or 6th of Feb. Is there any mention of anyone being wounded around this time?

Dave,
I have the RSG WW1 history, which has a list of awards and Officers service in the back, I will dig it out and see what it has about the Cooper's.
  
Regards,
   Stewart