Noel Cooper was born on 24 December 1914 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Reginald and Aileen Evelyn Laura (née Egremont) Cooper.  On completion of education at King’s School, Canterbury, he returned to Argentina and joined a firm of Chartered Accountants.  In 1936 he was selected to play rugby for Argentina and was capped three times.

Following the outbreak of war he decided to return to UK to join the Royal Navy. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in July 1942 and was posted to HMS QUEBEC at Inverary, Loch Fyne, for Combined Operations training.  In November 1942 Noel Cooper was deployed from HMS UNRIVALLED  for beach reconnaissaince and to guide in the landing craft during Operation “Torch”, the allied invasion of North Africa. He was mentioned in despatches for “bravery and skill in the hazardous operations in which the allied forces were landed in North Africa” (see London Gazette, 16 March 1943).

On 4 March 1943, as a member of Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP), he launched in a Folbot together with Captain George Burbidge (q.v.) from HMS UNBENDING, to carry out reconnaissance of beaches in Sicily ahead of Operation Husky.  Nothing was seen of them again; they disappeared without trace and are assumed to have drowned.  For more information, see  COPP Survey.

He is commemorated on Portsmouth Naval War Memorial Panel 80, Column 1