Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookis hand bound up, and was all for leading a bayonet charge in daylight. The day before that he had walked across an open space of 50 yards to bring me a message, with the bullets spattering all around him, and nothing I could say would make him wait till dark before going back." Another officer, who was wounded in the same engagement as that in which Lieut. Biddle-Cope met his death, wrote: "During the fight round Ypres two companies were ordered with the machine guns to reinforce a regt. who were having a very had time. On arrival there some selected men of our company were ordered to take a trench held by the Germans, and I was one of the officers, and while waiting to move out of our trench to attack, Biddle-Cope came up and chatted with me and wished me good luck; and I left my stick with him till I came back. The order to advance was given, and we charged, and just before we got to the enemy's trench Biddle-Cope rushed by at a terrific pace, and was shot as he got to the enemy's trench. When just in front of me he fired two shots from his revolver, and I think was again hit. I dropped down beside him and fired at the German who had shot, him, but can't say whether I hit him or not. I myself had damaged my knee so severely that I could not walk at the time, and I saw no use trying to do any more, so collected the few men left--about five at the moment--and crawled back in. Biddle-Cope was machine gun officer, and should not have been there, but I can only think that he saw things were going badly and came out to help me." [Illustration: =A. C. P. Biddle-Cope.=] =COPE, MICHAEL WILLIAM=, Private, No. 6317, No. 3 Coy. 1st Battn. 1st Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of the late Michael Brown Cope, of The Corner House, Castledermott, co. Kildare, by his wife, Isabella, dau. of John Brown, of Woodlands, Castledermott; _b._ Castledermott, 1 Sept. 1892; educ. there; went to Canada, 24 May. 1912, and after a few months in Arkona, Thedford, Ontario, with his uncle, George Brown, J.P., became a clerk on the Canadian Pacific Railway at Windsor, Ontario. On the outbreak of war he enlisted and came to England with the first Canadian contingent, and after training at Salisbury during the winter, left for the Front, 7 Feb. 1915. He was killed in action between Bethune and La Bassée on the evening of 1 June, 1915; _unm._ A comrade wrote: "He was killed in one of the most daring attacks of this war. It commenced at 6 p.m. The hail of bullets and shrapnel which swept over our parapet was perfectly ranged; it was suicide to show oneself over the breastwork, for the enemy were less than 75 yards away. In spite of all, not a man hesitated. The whole platoon, of which William was one of my best chums, crossed the parapet with our heads down and a muttered prayer. We made straight for the German lines. We dropped into shell holes for a breather, and I glanced back and saw half of the boys (chums all of them since leaving Windsor, Ontario) lying dead and wounded. William, I afterwards learned, suffered no pain; his death was instantaneous. We had many debts to pay--Ypres, Festubert--and we alleged together to form one terrible effort, which carried us to their third line. William was with us through all our trouble at Ypres and Festubert, and has won the love and respect of us all. There are but few survivors left of the willing bands that landed in France last February." [Illustration: =Michael William Cope.=] =COPELAND, TOM=, Officer's Steward, 1st Class, 357988, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914. =COPELAND, WILLIAM GEORGE=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 10384), 206235, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =COPELAND, WILLIAM JOHN=, Corpl., No. 10666, Machine Gun Section Wellington L.I., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 2nd _s._ of Thomas Mercer Copeland, of 30, Liffeton Street, Wanganui, New Zealand, Building Inspector etc., for Wanganui Borough Council, by his wife, Emma; _b._ Wanganui, 23 Jan. 1890; and was educated at the District High School and at Mossten, Wanganui. He joined the Defence Cadets as a boy, winning a cup for shooting at the age of 15, and afterwards attained the rank of Lieut. of the Senior Cadets acting at Capt. for eighteen months, but had to resign on leaving Wanganui for New Plymouth to take up other work. He was a Mechanical Engineer and Motor Expert by trade and on the outbreak of war volunteered for Imperial Service and joined the Wellington Infantry Battn., 18 Aug. 1914. He left New Zealand with the Main Expeditionary Force, was promoted Corpl. while in Egypt on Christmas Day, 1914, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 2 May, 1915; _unm._ Col. Malone wrote: "When on the death of all his superior officers I placed him in charge of my four machine guns and recommended him for a commission to be my Machine Gun Officer. He was trying to locate the Turk's fire which was harassing them when he was shot," adding that "it was an extremely plucky act." [Illustration: =William John Copeland.=] =COPLAND, DUDLEY CHARLES JAMES=, 2nd Lieut., 1st Battn. Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt.), only _s._ of Charles Copland, Professor of Singing, R.A.M; _b._ Hampstead, 2 May, 1896; educ. St. Paul's Cathedral Choir School and Denstone College; joined the 28th Battn. (Artists' Rifles) The London Regt., and was gazetted to the Sherwood Foresters, 2 March, 1915. He was killed in action at Aubers Ridge, 9 May, 1915, being buried in the cemetery at La Cordonnierie. =COPLAND, LEONARD GEORGE=, Ordinary Telegraphist, J. 14426, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =COPLAND, MAURICE=, Private, No. 2363, 5th (Cinque Ports) Battn. Royal Sussex Regt. (T.F.), _s._ of John Albert Copland, of Chelmsford, Solicitor, by his wife, Mary, dau. of Isaac King; _b._ Chelmsford, co. Essex, 21 Dec. 1876; educ. Chelmsford Grammar School, New College, Eastbourne, and Pembroke College, Cambridge; enlisted 8 Sept. 1914; proceeded with his regt. to the Front, and died in the Stationary Hospital, Boulogne, 21 March, 1915, while on Active Service; buried in Wimereux Military Cemetery, Boulogne Base, Grave No. 285; _unm._ [Illustration: =Maurice Copland.=] =COPPINGER, CYRIL DOUGLAS=, Private, No. 12650, 1st Battn. Northamptonshire Regt., only _s._ of Col. Thomas Stephen Coppinger, of 168, Worple Road, Wimbledon, late 11th Regt., and Chief Paymaster, A.P.D. (who served in the Zulu war of 1879 and the last South African war), by his wife, Aldegonde Emily, dau. of Edward Thomas ffrench Beytagh, Q.C.; _b._ Maidstone, 26 July, 1890; educ. Wimbledon College, Edge Hill; was a journalist on the stall of the "Evening Standard," and latterly a sub-editor on the staff of the Exchange Telegraph Co. On the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Northamptonshire Regt., joining the 1st Battn. at the Front, 2 Feb. 1915; he took part in the Battle of N |