Tony Cooper, or to give him his full name & rank, Flight Lieutenant Anthony GH Cooper had an important part to play in John Harder's war.

Cooper was "A" Flight Commander of 64 Squadron with Harder "B" Flight Commander & from the time that they were both members of 64 Squadron formed a friendship that continues to this day, notwithstanding Harder's death in 1977; as was made plain in an email sent to Harder's son, Lewis:

Your father was and still is my best friend - I flatter myself that between us there existed a wonderful and perhaps unusual rapport borne of
great admiration and the warmest affection. Though physically he is no longer with us, as I sit typing out this E-Mail he is all around me - in pictures, words (mostly R.A.F. slang!) in my logbooks and in my heart. Through our love of flying I think we were a kind of private mutual admiration society, (being the only members !).

In fact, had it not been for Tony Cooper's actions in April, 1944, John Harder wouldn't have even made it to the pages of this website!

Following an anti-shipping ("Jim Crow") reconnaisance mission off the Dutch coast, Harder's Spitfire developed an engine problem causing him to bale out into the North Sea. His wartime logbook records things as he saw them...

Engine blew up half way across Norh Sea; Baled out; Cold as Hell. Sticky bit getting dinghy to operate; Spent a frigid 5hr 35 min before being picked up by HSL No 158. What a day!

Tony Cooper's diary records: Junior baled out 70 miles off our coast whilst on Jim Crow - Patrols lost sight of him after 3 hours - we found him again after an hour and directed launch to pick him up - Safe & Sound!

Apparently, Harder's wingman was low on fuel & couldn't stay around any longer so flew back to base. Cooper & their Squadron Leader then flew out to find him & as reported, guided the HSL to his position.

In Tony's logbook is the following note of the day when John Harder was shot down...

Our deepest and longest trip. Very heavy flak at Rennes aerodrome Blake Smiley hit but ok. Shot up 40 covered wagons - heavy return flak - Flt/Lt Harder probably hit - baled out ok

Tony initially joined 64 Squadron when they were based at Ayr whilst they were changing 'planes & reforming. He had been an instructor since 1938 & had been sent to Canada on the outbreak of war to help instruct pilots. However, having had a Fairy Battle (the 'planes they were using - obsolete for active service) be taxied through the 'plane that he was in by an inexperienced pilot, he applied for front line service as the Luftwaffe seemed to be less of a danger to health than new pilots!

They remained in contact (with occasional visits) up to the time of Harder's death. On one occasion, after visiting the French people who had sheltered him after his bale out in Normandy, Harder brought his parachute that had been used (at least in part) to make a wedding dress for Tony to sign as a memento.

A couple of years ago, my son, Richard, & I were privelidged to be able to spend some time with Tony at his home in Lowestoft... here are some of the notes that I made at the time...

Notes from conversations with Tony Cooper
Tony Cooper was “A” Flight commander of 64 Squadron whilst John was “B” Flight commander & considered John to be his “best friend during the war” and this is evident, not only from the way that he talks about John, but also, having visited him in his home in Lowestoft, from the fact that he still has wartime photos of John in his study.

Initially, Tony was posted as a flying instructor due to the number of flying hours that he had “clocked up” prior to the outbreak of war. Initially based in Peterborough, he was then posted to Kingston, Ontario in Canada.

After two years, he persuaded the Authorities to allow him to transfer to fighters (presumably a safer option than teaching some of the trainee pilots!) and was eventually posted to 64 Squadron whilst Mike Donnet was Squadron Leader.

He remembered John celebrating his 21st birthday at Coltishall (however, on the basis that John signed up when he was 16, but perhaps quoted “18” this wouldn’t have been an “official” one – not commenting on Tony’s memory, just that John (like I suspect many others) lied about his age to get “in”)

Tony remembers their operations on D-Day (and in his photo album has some impressive photographs taken from the cockpit of his Spitfire whilst on patrol early on 6th June).

He remembers that John was shot down whilst they were based at RAF Harrowbeer with 611 & 324 Squadrons with W/Cdr Harold Bird-Wilson (a Battle of Britain veteran) as w/co.

Initially, he thought that John had been killed as his ‘plane was seen to blow up, but then wondered whether they would see him a few days later having made it through the lines; unfortunately, he was missing for a long time & they only met up again after the war.

Apparently, John’s parachute didn’t open correctly & he was seen crashing through a poplar tree near to a French farm where he hid for a while then started to make his way back to Allied lines. Unfortunately, he was then picked up by the Germans.

After the war, John told Tony some of what had happened…

The Russians over-ran the POW camp & the inmates went on a forced march. John, obviously, got fed up with this & escaped, making his own way back to American lines.

Tony flew a Spitfire Mk IX SH-B (MK805) marked up as “Peter John III”. John flew SH-L