Margaret Isobel Cooper | |
|---|---|
,_with_Second_Officer_Kalyani_Sen,_WRINS_at_Rosyth_during_their_two_month_study_visit_to_Britain.jpg) Chief Officer Margaret I. Cooper (right) with Second Officer Kalyani Sen, at Rosyth during their two-month study visit to the UK (1945) | |
| Birth name | Margaret Isobel Perkin |
| Other name(s) | Peggy Skipwith |
| Nickname(s) | Peggy |
| Born | 12 October 1915 Shillong, British India |
| Died | 7 December 2015 (aged 100) Jávea, Spain |
| Allegiance |
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| Service | |
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank | Chief Officer |
| Commands | Women's Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS) |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards | OBE |
Margaret Isobel Cooper OBE (12 October 1915 – 7 December 2015), later known as Peggy Skipwith, was a British military officer who was Chief Officer and deputy director of the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service (WRINS) during the Second World War.
Cooper was born in Shillong, British India, and sent to England at the age of five years, returning to India in 1934. In 1941, based in Quetta, she served the Women's Auxiliary Corps (India) (WAC(I). In 1943 she was appointed Lieutenant Colonel, the regional commander responsible for recruiting women in Indian naval offices. The role led to becoming the Chief Officer and Deputy Director of WRINS, appointed by Admiral John Henry Godfrey, then flag officer commanding the Royal Indian Navy (RIN). Together they planned an active campaign to recruit women from across British India for service in the RIN. She was also responsible for the welfare, training and housing of WRINS. In 1946, she returned to England and worked recruiting for MI6 until 1948.
Following the death of her second husband in 1981, she remained in Javea, Spain, and later made two return journeys to India in 2005 and 2013. She died in 2015 almost two months after her 100th birthday.