Roy Cooper (SN 3823) born at Ballarat, was an 18 year old carpenter when he enlisted in Melbourne on January 20th 1916. He embarked aboard the Warilda on February 8th and by April he had reached France to serve with the 21st Infantry Battalion. It seems the early part of his service was incident free, but in April 1917, while on active service in France, he went absent without leave for two weeks. He faced a General Court Martial and was sentenced to a period of imprisonment. Part of the sentence was suspended but in October he again went absent without leave, this time for ten days. He was again sentenced to imprisonment. At war’s end he returned to Australia aboard the Chemnitz, disembarked at Melbourne on September 5th 1919 and was discharged.

Lucas’s Staffs Appreciation of Brave Men, the original Avenue register, records his name as Ray Cooper.