Harry Edward Cooper was born on 24 April 1878 at Brading, Isle of Wight, the eldest of ten children of Henry (“Harry”) Cooper, an electrician, and his wife Emily (née Willis).  

He joined the Royal Navy at Portsmouth on 21 November 1893 at the boys’ training ship HMS ST VINCENT, omitting his middle name and giving his previous occupation as electrician. He then served in training and reserve ships HMS BOSCAWEN, ALEXANDRA and EDINBURGH before joining the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS REVENGE in January 1896, where he was subsequently rated Ordinary Seaman on his 18th birthday, and Able Seaman in August 1897, and saw service in the Mediterranean in the International Squadron. 

Returning to Portsmouth in March 1899, he underwent training at EXCELLENT and VERNON, qualifying as a Torpedoman and Leading Torpedoman, and being rated Leading Seaman in April 1901.  From July 1901 to the end of 1903, he served in the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS HANNIBAL where he was rated Petty Officer 2nd Class, and he then moved to HMS GLORY where he was rated Petty Officer 1st Class in November 1904. After time back at VERNON and in the cruiser HMS EXMOUTH, he joined the destroyer depot ship HMS HECLA until November 1910.

From April 1911 for the next year he served in the submarine depot ships HMS MERCURY and HMS HAZARD. He then served in the cruisers HMS ESSEX, HMS ROYAL ARTHUR, and the Admiralty yacht HMS ENCHANTRESS.

In July 1914 he joined HMS DOLPHIN, transferring to HMS MAIDSTONE in October and then HMS ADAMANT in June 1915. His record shows he served in HMS E12 and it is likely he joined at her commissioning in October 1914, sailing with her to the Mediterranean in May 1915. From July 1915 he seems to have been engaged in flotilla duties in ADAMANT, being promoted to Acting Chief Petty Officer in December 1915 and then transferring in April 1916 to HMS EUROPA II, a general depot ship in Mudros Bay.  In July 1916 he returned to HMS DOLPHIN and the following month joined HMS ALECTO, one of the Harwich submarine depot ships.  He was confirmed as Chief Petty Officer in December 1916.  In February 1917 he returned to DOLPHIN, but was discharged to sick quarters on 23 May.  His service record notes that he was surveyed and invalided on 25 July 1917, and he died on 16 August. He is buried at Portsmouth (Kingston) Cemetery.

He left a widow, Louisa Sarah (née Revans) whom he had married in 1901, and a son, Henry John (born 1902).