Glen Cooper
| Glen Cooper | |
|---|---|
Wing Commander Cooper (left) after landing the first of No. 81 Wing's P-51 Mustangs to arrive at Iwakuni, Japan, in 1946
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| Birth name | Glen Albert Cooper |
| Born |
20 November 1915 Glenferrie, Melbourne |
| Died | 6 April 1986 (aged 70) East Melbourne |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1934–70 |
| Rank | Air Commodore |
| Service number | 251426 |
| Commands held |
No. 80 Squadron No. 80 Wing No. 81 Wing No. 1 Flying Training School No. 21 Squadron North-Western Area Command No. 78 Wing RAAF Base Williamtown |
| Battles/wars | Malayan Emergency |
| Awards |
Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross |
Air Commodore Glen Albert Cooper, CBE, DFC, AFC (20 November 1915 – 6 April 1986) was an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During the Second World War, he commanded No. 80 Squadron in the New Guinea campaign (for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross) and then No. 80 Wing in the Borneo campaign. He commanded No. 78 Wing during the Malayan Emergency, earning the Air Force Cross for his leadership. Following his retirement from the RAAF in 1970, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Born on 20 November 1915 in Glenferrie, Melbourne, Cooper was the son of a butcher and was educated at state schools in Melbourne. After finishing his education at Melbourne High School, he entered the workforce as a manchester salesman.
At the age of 19, Cooper enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Initially he was an aircraft hand, and then a clerk and bandsman (having learned the trumpet in his childhood). Still an enlisted man, he began flight training in 1936. He graduated as a sergeant upon completion of his training in December and was initially posted to No. 1 Squadron. By mid 1937, he was a flight instructor at No. 1 Flying Training School. He was commissioned in June 1939 but two months later resigned from the air force. Having recently become married to Doreen May Freeland, he and his new wife moved to Adelaide, where he took up an instructor position at an aero club.
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