Roll of Honour 2023

P AGE 149

W ORLD W AR II

S T . E DWARD ’ S S CHOOL , O XFORD R OLL OF H ONOUR

Name PETER OGDEN COOP (Lt)

Lef SES 1942

Roll Number 3217 Died 13:06:1944

Set / House A

Arrive SES 1937

Where NORMANDY, FRANCE Serving with 1ST, RIFLE BRIGADE

Age 20

Buried No Known Grave Remembered Bayeux Memorial and The St. Edward’s School WW2 Memorial

Born Hoylake 1924, the eldest of three SES brothers, he held a School Scholarship. He was a School Prefect, a member off the Rugby XV 1941, Hockey XI 1940-2 (Captain in 1942), Squash 1941-2 (Captain 1942), Choir, Hon Sec of the Historical Society and a Sergeant in the OTC, he was in the History VIth Form. He left the School and joined up straight away in the Rifle Brigade as a Rifleman in 1942, a year later he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the same regiment and then a Lieutenant in 1944 with the 1st Battalion. He took part through all the fighting in the North African Campaign, playing a leading role in the Second Battle of Alamein and then the invasion of Italy before landing on Sword Beach on D-Day + 7 when he died of his wounds, shortly after landing. He was the first OSE lost after D-Day. He had previously been reported ‘wounded and missing’. ‘He was a boy of striking personality and made an able and vigorous Head of House. He was an able member of the XV and a keen cricketer and also in the Hockey XI’ (Chronicle).