Edward Henry Burke Cooper
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Edward Cooper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward Henry Burke Cooper early 1912 |
| Died | 12 February 1937 |
| Cause of death | Injuries sustained in Cordoba during the Battle of Lopera |
| Monuments | Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial |
| Other names | Edward Burke (stage name) |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Occupations | Actor, civil engineer, soldier |
| Known for | Communist activism. Fighting for the International Brigades. |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Joshua (older brother) Richard (older brother) Cicely (older sister) |
Edward Cooper (1912–1937) was a British actor, communist activist, and newspaper worker, who died fighting for the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. He was also a close friend of Ralph Winston Fox, and John Cornford, and is memorialised on the Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial.
Born in Croydon, England, Edward Cooper was the youngest of four children belonging to Mary Eleanor (nee Burke) from County Mayo, and Richard Edward Synge Cooper from Northamptonshire.[1] His family was very well off, with their household including a live-in cook, housemaid, and "German governess".[1]
As a student, Cooper participated in the anti-fascist movement.[2] Although Cooper never joined a trade union like many other volunteers, he did join the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1935.[3] Soon afterwards he began working for the CPGB's official newspaper the Daily Worker, today known as the Morning Star. During his time working for the Daily Worker his parents lived in Oxfordshire, seven miles south of Banbury, in a house called 'The Grange' (now Priory Court) in Duns Tew.[4]