Passenger killed in the Handley Page V/1500 air-crash.
Robert Porter Cooper was born on 5 September 1881 in Hammond, Russell, Ontario, Canada, the eldest of the six children of William Cooper (1831-1904) and his second wife, Eliza Jane Cooper née Porter (1849-1912). His five siblings were: John Fenimore Cooper (1882-1973); Adelaide Elizabeth E. Cooper (1884-1913); James Frederick McMahon Cooper (1886-1918); Adam Porter Cooper (1889-1972) and Samuel Seed Cooper (1892-1917).
He was shown as aged 18 years and a ships draughtsman on the 1901 census, boarding at the home of Francis Kennedy at 21 Lincoln Avenue, Clifton, County Antrim, Ireland (now Northern Ireland).
On 11 November 1906 he was initiated as a freemason in the Hope Lodge, No.243 that met in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland), where in the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Ireland's membership registers he is described as a naval engineer.
In the 1911 census he is shown as aged 29 years and a shipyard manager living at 46 Lonsdale Street, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland (now Northern Ireland), with 3 male boarders and a female servant..
In the 4th quarter of 1912 he married Emma Augusta B. Scott (1883-1941) in the Rathdown Registration District, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) and they had one child, William Gough Porter Cooper (1915-1990).
He died, aged 36 years, on 8 June 1918 whilst as a passenger aboard a Handley Page V/1500 aeroplane, Serial Number B9462, that crashed shortly after taking off from Cricklewood Aerodrome. An inquest was held on 11 June 1918 by the local coroner, G. Cohen, who ruled misadventure stating that he died from injuries caused by an aeroplane in which he was flying crashing to the ground. On his death certificate he was described as a manager of an aviation depot and was living at 80 Malone Avenue, Belfast. His body was buried on 12 June 1918 in Plot C, Grave 384 in the Glenalina Extension, Belfast City Cemetery, 511 Falls Road, Belfast, BT12 6DE.
He is shown as ROBERT COOPER on the tablet that is recessed into the pavement outside 21 Garrick Avenue, London, NW11.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk and Andrew Behan.
