RHODESIAN KINGS CHAMPION SHOT MEDAL 1952 INSPECTOR COOKE BSAP POST WW2

Offered is a King's Medal for the Champion Shot, (G.VI.R.), 1 clasp, 1952, unnamed as issued. Mounted as worn (Final award with this obverse, then it became the Queens Medal for the Champion Shot). Comes with copies 1911 census, passenger lists 1934, research notes, photographs, dealers purchase receipt & Rhodesian outpost 2019 extract.

This medal is attributed to Inspector Henry Roper Cooke. B.S.A.P. who was the winner of the Kings Medal for the Champion Shot in Rhodesia 1952.

Inspector Henry Roper Cooke was born on the 7/8/1910 at West Hampstead, London. By 1934 he was living in Rhodesia working as a Police Officer with the B.S.A.P. with whom he served from November-1934 to November-1954. Cooke was promoted to Sub-Inspector and served in the Umtali District 4/3/53. He retired to Enkeldoorn in 1954 as Inspector, and continued to serve as a Police Reservist. He died 1998 at Harare, Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe

From the Rhodesian Outpost 2019.

3427 Henry Roper-Cooke - Retired as an Insp. in 1954 and settled in Enkeldoorn (Afrikaans for single thorn) . Became a Police Reservist and the proprietor of the Enkeldoorn Inn. An eccentric character as will be seen. He had a cell in the bar which housed a skeleton and he built an old time stocks alongside it. As one Police traveller said, if you were a stranger and did not have an Enkeldoorn passport, you were incarcerated in the stocks, until you applied or produced your passport. One good thing was other patrons fed you with copious amounts of beer. For the offence you also had to pay a fine and all monies received went to charity, and not into Henry’s pocket! I had a passport, which regrettably I have lost. Another Police traveller commented he would walk to the shower naked and then walk back to his room naked Not a pretty sight when trying to have breakfast of T bone, egg and chips with a huge hangover.

Another police officer had this to say - Henry Roper-Cooke was a legend in his own time as I recall. An excellent shottist both military and Bisley. He taught me a lot about shooting, kind man that he was. He carried a little wooden box with him all the time he was on the range. It had all his bits and pieces in it, plus a bottle of Roses lime juice from which he would take often and regular sips. I asked him why he kept drinking the lime juice and he replied that it was his muti. It surely was! He gave me a sip and I nearly fell over backwards! Must have been pretty close to 100% alcohol!! Might even have been (illegal African brew). We shared top honours at one of the Inter-Service shoots at Cleveland Range.

I had a good day out - went from [amateur] to 1st Class shot in one meeting. As I recall, Dennis Castell-Castell was a semi-permanent resident in Enkeldoorn after he left the Police. Those two must have made a few gallons of hooch disappear in a pretty short time!!