Person Page - 1930

     He was the elder surviving son of Mr. John R. Rooper, formerly manager for New Zealand of the Port Line, Ltd., who for some years has been residing in England as a member of the London board of directors.
     Educated at Bilton Grange, Rugby, and at Winchester, Ralph Rooper entered the Royal Navy as a cadet in December, 1935. He served as sub-lieutenant in H.M.S. Malaya, and was promoted lieutenant while in the new destroyer Kelvin, in which he was constantly in action, notably at the time of the campaign in Norway. Subsequently he was appointed first lieutenant of H.M.S. Velox, in which he took part in the landings in North Africa in 1942. Returning to England in 1943 he was shortly afterwards appointed Senior Officer, Motor Gun Boats, at Ramsgate. He took part in many actions with Light Coastal Forces, several of which resulted in the sinking of enemy vessels. Two or three of them were fought against heavy odds. Rooper was awarded the D.S.C. in December, 1943, "for outstanding bravery, enterprise, and skill in successful attacks on enemy shipping in enemy coastal waters while serving in Light Coastal craft."
     In the action in which he lost his life his ship led a flotilla of British vessels into action with an enemy convoy of R-boats and armed trawlers, which outnumbered them by six to one. His vessel was hit at pointblank range and sank. The following ship succeeded in blowing up and sinking the leading R-boat before retiring, and also set fire to a trawler. Admiral Sir Henry Pridham-Wippell, Flag Officer Commanding, Dover, wrote: "He had a difficult and responsible job here, and fulfilled it magnificently. He will be greatly missed by all officers and men of the Coastal Forces who worked under him, and whose admiration and respect he had earned by his great qualities of gallantry and leadership, and by his constant thought for their welfare. My staff and I had speedily come to value his opinion and to rely on his judgment. His place will be hard indeed to fill".²

The marriage of Jean Evelyn Phillips, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. Phillips, of KingswoodPark, with Kenneth Robert Bosworth, younger son of Mrs. A. M. Bosworth, of Malvern, and the late Mr. R. Bosworth, will be celebrated at St. Columba's Church, Hawthorn, at 5 p.m. today. the bride will wear a gown of ivory satin with pearl embroidery, and her short tulle veil will be held in place by a cluster of orange blossom. She will carry a small posy of cream flowers. The bridesmaid, Miss Jean Cowan, will wear an aquamarine dinner gown, and carry a posy of deep maize flowers. Mr. Douglas Whiting will be best man. The Rev. C. W. E. Swan will officiate at the ceremony. the bride and bridegroom will leave on Sunday to make their home in Melbourne.¹