Doncaster Times Issue 1 - June 2016

Daughters of
Doncaster
The Mystery Miss Hooper
which opens at Cusworth Hall on 16 July 2016.
Within a collection loaned to the project for the
exhibition were two photographs of Miss Freda
Hooper. These photographs had been given
to Julia, the commandant of Hooton Pagnell
Auxiliary Hospital, after Freda entertained the
troops there. Enclosed was a business card with
Freda’s address listed as 137 St Sepulchre Gate.
While selecting objects for Doncaster
1914-18’s current exhibition From Don to
Somme: the King’s Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry at War; 1916, I came across a framed letter
to a Miss Hooper. The letter thanks this mysterious
woman for providing the 5th Battalion of the King’s
Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (K.O.Y.L.I.) with 1000
cigarettes and 3lbs of tobacco. She raised the funds
for these goods through the sale of her photograph.
The letter was then signed by many soldiers from
the 5th Battalion, most of them from Doncaster.
It’s not uncommon to find support for soldiers
like this, as the connection with the K.O.Y.L.I. in
Doncaster was strong. Organisations, including the
Great Northern Railway, churches and local groups
sent out ‘comfort packs’ to soldiers at the Front
containing clothing and tobacco. Other events,
such as an American Tea at the Mansion House
in May 1916 were held to raise funds to support
this local regiment. However, what set this letter
apart was that it was addressed directly to Miss
Hooper and thanked her for her hard work
in selling her photograph. With no additional
information about the identity of Miss Hooper,
we opted to include the letter in the exhibition
with an appeal for additional information.
Through research for a different exhibition I
came across a mention of a Miss Freda Hooper
contributing to a concert entertaining inmates
and troops at Balby Workhouse. This provided
a lead, but wasn’t a sure confirmation of Miss
Hooper’s identity. I then found a Freda Winifred
Hooper on the 1911 census. She was 8 years old
and living at 137 St Sepulchre Gate with her family.
Her father Albert was a master butcher and the
family had a domestic servant, Florence Sarah
Ashworth, living at the address with them. It would
seem Freda married Arthur Clifford Cooper at
St James Church, Doncaster in July 1928. The
couple appear to have had three children; Peter,
Albert and Julie. A death was registered for a
Freda Winifred Cooper in Doncaster in March 1971.
Then, a real breakthrough came during the
development stage of the Estate of War:
Doncaster’s Country Houses 1914-18 exhibition,
Images by kind permission of Mark Warde-Norbury
So the focus returns to the K.O.Y.L.I. letter. While
we can now tie these photographs to the butcher’s
daughter and troop entertainer Miss Hooper, we’re
still not able to definitively tie them to the letter from
the K.O.Y.L.I. soldiers, though it seems likely that
the author of the letter was the same Miss Hooper.
Do you have any more information about
Miss Hooper? Are you related to her?
If so, the project would love to hear from
you. If you can shed any light on this mystery
woman, please contact Doncaster 1914-18
by emailing: info@doncaster1914-18.org.uk
Lynsey Slater
Doncaster 1914-18 Project Researcher
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