Adolphe Richard (Dick) Cooper
born 28.2.1899 Baghdad,Mesopotamia (now Iraq)
son of Arthur and Elenora Cooper
resided Constantinople 1901,Chios,Aegean 1902-04,Aleppo,Syria 1905,Constantinople and Tchoumra 1906
educated College of St Joseph,Kadikeui,Turkey
educated Jenanian College,Konia,Turkey
educated Collegio Bartolomeo Giustiniani,Constantinople
educated Xaverian College,Brighton,Sussex (3 months) 1912
educated Forest House School,Woodford Green,Essex 1912
educated New College,Worthing,Sussex 1913
apprentice seaman 1913-14
joined French Foreign Legion 8.10.1914
alias Jean Cornelis Debruin
youngest Legionnaire in history
1 Regiment de Marche d'Afrique 1915
WIA 21.6.1915
awarded Croix de Guerre for Gallipoli 1915
believed to be first ever recipient of Croix de Guerre (instituted 8.4.1915)
discharged 25.1.1916
Royal Garrison Artillery 1917 (157750 Gunner)
WIA 6.12.1917 France and March 1918 France
demobilised 31.3.1919
French Foreign Legion 8.7.1919
3 Bn 1 Regiment
left 8.7.1924 but rejoined 8.10.1924
21 Company 6 Bn (Caporal)
9 Company 3 Bn 4 Regiment 1926
left FFL December 1929
assistant housemaster,school for delinquent boys,Basingstoke
tour guide and interpreter,Thomas Cook and Son
Continental Telephone Exchange (Civil Service) 1935
resided Clapham,London
MI1(X) + SOE 1940
2nd Lieutenant,General List May 1941
SOE Algeria June 1941
arrested 1941
Laghouat Internment Camp 25.12.1941
Chambaran Internment Camp,near Grenoble,France June 1942
escaped November 1942
arrived Greenock,Scotland December 1942 (via Spain)
Force 133,Italy July 1943
alias Arturo Ricardo Cavallero
codename AJ4
promoted Acting Captain 1943
No 1 Special Force SOE
discharged 28.2.1945 as Captain
returned to Continental Telephone Exchange
author of following
"Twelve Years in the French Foreign Legion" (1933)
"The Adventures of a Secret Agent" (1957)
"Born to Fight" (1969)
"March or Bust" (1972)
married Doris 1931 Bromley,Kent (2 children)
biography
"Character is Destiny" (Pat Hews) (his daughter) (20
