Pat Cooper who enlisted into the Army in 1945, died on 27 June 1983, after a long and painful illness.
In January 1946 he joined the 7th Hussars where he rapidly gained promotion to Sergeant and by the early age of 24, was already a Squadron Sergeant Major.
In 1957 he left for a spell with the Yeomanry, returning in 1960 for a second tour as SSM of ‘A’ Squadron. This was followed by his appointment as RQMS of the Regiment. He served as WOI (Cadets) in East Anglia and RSM of the Advanced Base in Antwerp, before returning to be RSM in 1964; a testing and successful time, which saw the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, a move from BAOR and the visit of the Colonel-in-Chief to the Regiment in Catterick.
Commissioned in March 1967, he returned to ‘A’ Squadron in time for the Aden withdrawal, bringing a wealth of experience and good sense to a troubled scene. He became QM Tech in March 1968 and QM in 1972.
In May 1977 he was appointed QM CAAT in Iran. After a hasty return to England, he was appointed QM at JSSC Latimer.
In 1979 we were all delighted to hear of his well-deserved MBE.
Sadly dogged in the last few years of his service by illness, he finished his career as a PSO at Sutton Coldfield in July of 1982.
