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Need information about Doreen Eileen Mary Cooper 1913-2001

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  • Need information about Doreen Eileen Mary Cooper 1913-2001

    I am a British citizen currently domiciled in Holland. For sometime I have been trying to acquire information about my mother, who died at the age of 88 in 2001. In the 1930s she was living with her mother and father in Shirley, near Croydon, South London, and around 1940, at the outbreak of the Second World War, she worked at the famous Croydon Airport. Subsequently she transferred to the top-secret airfield at Whitchurch near Bristol, which was used by VIPs such as Churchill, De Gaulle and celebrities like Bob Hope. She lived close by with her mother during the bombing of Bristol by the Luftwaffe. Until now I have been unable to obtain details of my mother's work at these sensitive locations. If anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful. My mother's name was Doreen Eileen Mary Cooper (born Willesden, London, 1st May 1913). My grandmother's name was Violet Blanche Cooper, nee Markham, (born St Pancras, London, May 1895/ died Paddington, London, March 1969). My grandfather, who served in the Royal Sussex Regiment in the First World War, was Maurice Patrick Cooper (born Willesden, London, 1889/died Croydon, South London, 1938).

  • #2
    Was your mother in one of the forces, eg ATS, WAAF or was she a civilian?
    I believe women were conscripted post 1941 and could either join one of the forces, or work in industry.

    Jay
    Janet in Yorkshire



    Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

    Comment


    • #3
      1939
      Cooper Household (2 People) 130 Fortfield Road , Bristol C.B., Gloucestershire, England
      First name(s) Last name(s) DOB Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule Sub Number
      Doris E M Cooper 01 May 1913 Female Telephonist (Air ?) Single 70 2
      Violet B Cooper 04 May 1893 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Widowed 70 1

      if you want the image I would need your email

      Comment


      • #4
        Well done, Val.
        I think the 1939 entry is Air Ministry, so perhaps she was in the WAAFs, rather than a civilian.

        Jay
        Janet in Yorkshire



        Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

        Comment


        • #5
          wish I could find mine that easily

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: D.e.m. Cooper

            Originally posted by Val wish Id never started View Post
            1939
            Cooper Household (2 People) 130 Fortfield Road , Bristol C.B., Gloucestershire, England
            First name(s) Last name(s)  DOB Sex Occupation Marital status Schedule Schedule Sub Number
            Doris E M Cooper 01 May 1913 Female Telephonist (Air ?) Single 70 2
            Violet B Cooper 04 May 1893 Female Unpaid Domestic Duties Widowed 70 1

            if you want the image I would need your email
            Many many thanks, Val, for this information! !939 was not a census year and so I am curious where you got this informayion from. I have tried for some time to obtain this kind of information w/o success and so your rapid retrieval of it from some source is remarkable to me. I see that (Air?) follows my mother''s occupation. Did you add this or was it on your original source? My mother often used 'Doris' as an alternative to 'Doreen' which she thought rather naff(!!), so I am not surprised that she gave that version in this instance, I am extremely grateful for your contact and, yes, I would really appreciate seing the image.

            What I would like to track down now is my mother's employment record at Whitchurch Airport, if it still exists. Fortfield Road was in the same area of the airport which is now a private flying club.

            Best regards and again thanks, Andrew

            Sorry Andrew but I have had to remove your e-mail address as our T&C's don't allow them to be posted for your security.You would need to send it to Val in a PM (Private Message) but I will do it for you this time.
            Last edited by Chrissie Smiff; 10-07-16, 18:45.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Janet in Yorkshire View Post
              Well done, Val.
              I think the 1939 entry is Air Ministry, so perhaps she was in the WAAFs, rather than a civilian.

              Jay
              Hello Jay. No I don't think my mother was in the WAAF: I have not found any evidence of that in the family papers and she never mentioned it. What I would like to know is why she transferred at the start of the War from Croydon Airport (a public airport) to a highly secret landing field like Whitchurch. Whitchurch was chosen by the government because of its location in the West of England and distance from London, and it was used throughout the war by important political, military and entertainment personalities. So far as I know it was never "discovered" by the Germans. Bristol, nearby, was heavily bombed, but that was because it was targeted as a port and significant commercial and cultural centre during the so-called "Baedeker Raids". Best, Andrew

              Comment


              • #8
                image on its way

                Comment


                • #9
                  If she worked for the Air Ministry, I rather think that they would have decided what employment possibilities were open to her, even though she may have been given a range of jobs to choose from. Alternatively, a vacant post came up at a place she fancied, she applied and got the posting.

                  Jay
                  Janet in Yorkshire



                  Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I am puzzled. Whitchurch was not a highly secret airport at all because it was one of very few civil airports which still operated during the war.

                    I think Jay is right, your mother worked for the Air Ministry and was either sent to Whitchurch or was offered the opportunity and took it. Either way I don't think there will be much information on record.

                    OC

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                    • #11
                      It seems Doris was the name she was registered under...
                      Name: Doris E M Cooper
                      Mother's Maiden Name: Markham
                      Registration Year: 1913
                      Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
                      Registration district: Willesden
                      Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
                      Inferred County: Middlesex
                      Volume: 3a
                      Page: 626

                      The 1939 information is from here http://search.findmypast.co.uk/searc.../1939-register
                      Last edited by larkspur; 11-07-16, 16:22.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Name Violet Blanche Markham
                        Registration Year 1893
                        Registration Quarter Apr-May-Jun
                        Registration district Pancras
                        Inferred County London
                        Volume 1b
                        Page 19

                        Name Violet Blanch Markham
                        Record Type Baptism
                        Baptism Date 2 Jun 1895
                        Father's Name Philip Markham
                        Mother's Name Louisa Markham
                        Parish or Poor Law Union Christ Church, Albany Street
                        Borough Camden
                        Register Type Parish Registers
                        Last edited by larkspur; 11-07-16, 16:31.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          It seems Croydon ceased being a civilian airport.

                          "On the 30th August, Croydon reverted back to its original role of defending Britain from aerial attack. The civil airlines moved out and London Airport was now known as RAF Croydon, a fully operational frontline fighter airfield, forming part of 11 Group, Fighter Command."

                          May be why your mother moved to Whitchurch.

                          Last edited by larkspur; 11-07-16, 16:55.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Andrew, If you still feel Croydon Airport is relevant, they do have a historical society:
                            Looking for a local hookup? Whether you’re in a large city or a small town, there’s bound to be someone near you looking for the same thing. Lucky for you, there are now plenty of online sex finders to help you connect with potential partners in your area. Our Guide Continue Reading

                            Info is on the site page.

                            Apologies - just realised this is a duplication
                            Last edited by Sue1; 12-07-16, 12:07. Reason: duplication of info

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              D.e.m. Cooper

                              Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                              I am puzzled. Whitchurch was not a highly secret airport at all because it was one of very few civil airports which still operated during the war.

                              I think Jay is right, your mother worked for the Air Ministry and was either sent to Whitchurch or was offered the opportunity and took it. Either way I don't think there will be much information on record.

                              OC
                              Hello, Thanks for this response. Whitchurch WAS secret during WWII. If it had not been it would have been liable to attack by the Luftwaffe. An interesting story my mother told me. One day when Churchill was flying in to land his plane was mistaken for an enemy craft by a trigger happy AA gunner, who let loose a round at the approaching "intruder". My mother remarked that "Winston almost got a dose of shrapnel!". The incident was not, of course, reported by the then media. Andrew .

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                D.e.m.

                                Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
                                I am puzzled. Whitchurch was not a highly secret airport at all because it was one of very few civil airports which still operated during the war.

                                I think Jay is right, your mother worked for the Air Ministry and was either sent to Whitchurch or was offered the opportunity and took it. Either way I don't think there will be much information on record.

                                OC
                                Hello and thanks. The idea that my mother was located to Whitchurch by the Air Ministry is extremely intriguing. At no time did she ever say that, but it seems to make sense considering that operations at Croydon were transferred to Whitchurch. I think I shall pursue a line of enquiry with the Ministry of Defence and see if they have any information. Andrew P.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Yes, the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Thanks.

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Originally posted by Sue1 View Post
                                    Andrew, If you still feel Croydon Airport is relevant, they do have a historical society:
                                    Looking for a local hookup? Whether you’re in a large city or a small town, there’s bound to be someone near you looking for the same thing. Lucky for you, there are now plenty of online sex finders to help you connect with potential partners in your area. Our Guide Continue Reading

                                    Info is on the site page.

                                    Apologies - just realised this is a duplication

                                    Thanks. I tried the Croydon Historical Society some time ago, but, to use their own words, thay are "only interested in the celebrities that used to fly in there"........(!!). Unfortunately my mother was not a celebrity: merely someone who worked behind the scenes to make sure that celebrities had a safe landing.......... Andrew

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