TOPIC:

Having just found some information about my great Uncle, I have joined in the hope of tracking
William. John .Cooper. I have been told he joined the army aged 18 . Born 1881 I am assuming the year would be 1899 when he joined. I have been given army no 4015 and he joined 4th Bedfordshire regiment and was a Warrant Officer when he left. My question is could he have taken part in the Boer War then WW1 ?

Monicaward,

There was a 4015 L Cpl W Cooper who served with the 4th Bedfordshire Regiment in the Boer War. He is listed on the QSA roll WO100/176p369 for the clasps CC, OFS and Transvaal. He is listed on the KSA roll WO100/325p122 for the KSA with 2 clasps.

It looks like there are one or two sets of service papers for him too. These are available at the National Archives for free or online at FindMyPast at a cost:

COOPER WILLIAM 1881 — 1899 British Army Service Records 1760-1915 Reading, Berkshire, England
Cooper William 1878 — 1915 British Army Service Records 1914-1920 London, Middlesex, England

Good luck!
David