Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A good ‘Iraq 2006’ M.C. pair awarded to Private R. J. Copping, 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment,for his gallantry as a Warrior armoured personnel carrier driver during an arrest and search operation in central Basra, 18 July 2006. Driving the formation’s lead vehicle, Copping was subjected to a hail of fire but despite this he popped open his hatch, and directed his gunner onto target after target in an effort to break through

Military Cross, E.II.R., the reverse officially inscribed ‘25187813 Pte R J Copping PWRR’, and reverse lower arm officially dated ‘2006’; Iraq 2003-11, no clasp (25187813 Pte R J Copping PWRR) mounted as originally worn, good very fine (2) £8,000-£12,000

M.C. London Gazette 15 December 2006, the original recommendation states:

‘In the early hours of 18 July 2006 Private Copping was the driver of a Warrior, as the lead platoon of a Brigade level arrest and search operation into the heart of Basra at the height of the state of emergency.

His was the first vehicle to enter the city and shortly after, came under intense small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire from the Shia flats area of the city. The enemy were utilising every opportunity to blind and confuse the Warrior with light and multi-directional ambushes and the streets were strewn with obstacles. It was at this stage the crew were struggling to identify both the enemy and the route to take to push onto the objective. Copping opened the driver’s hatch to gain greater situational awareness. From his exposed position he immediately began identifying the enemy positions that were pouring grenades and small arms fire upon the vehicles and steered his gunner onto them; a number of enemy positions were destroyed as a result. He remained calm and continued to keep the hatch open despite the enormous amount of fire he received as lead vehicle; instead he talked the gunner onto target after target.

Private Copping has demonstrated a near complete disregard for his own safety in order to do what he believed to be the act needed to ensure the vehicle, platoon and operation did not become bogged down. Despite very real and obvious danger he put second his own safety for the sake of his team and loyalty to what he knew was right.’

Ryan J. Copping enlisted in the Army in 2004, and served with the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment in Iraq, during Op Telic 8, April - November 2006. He was employed as a Warrior armoured personnel carrier driver, and ‘within a few weeks of their arrival in Iraq, two companies of the 1 PWRR were scrambled to the crash site of the Lynx helicopter shot down by insurgents over Basra on May 6, Flight Lieutenant Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill, from Canterbury, was killed in the crash.

Private Ryan Copping, 21, from Canterbury, was one of the troops called out.

“It was go, go, go,” he said. “Considering it was the first thing we’d done since we’d been into Basra before, it was quite strange.”

The private, who was on his first tour of duty, escorted Royal Engineers checking for survivors, amid scenes of jubilation from some Iraqis.

Pte Copping then helped cordon off the area while the wreckage was removed.’ (Kent on Sunday, 26 November 2006, refers)

Two months later Copping distinguished himself during an arrest and search operation in Basra, for which he was awarded the Military Cross. He reflected, ‘our vehicle took quite a battering, we were getting smashed left, right and centre. It was like being in a film. I had cuts and dust in my eyes, but I didn’t think anything of it.’ (newspaper cutting included in the lot refers)

Copping survived another contact later in the tour:

‘A pick-up truck had pulled up near his roadside foxhole and six men got out of the vehicle and started walking towards him and his colleague.

Initially, the men appeared to be unarmed but it soon became apparent that they were concealing machine guns.

With their own weapons on the floor and any movement likely to alert the men to their presence, all they could do was turn off their radios and hope they were not seen.

“They got so close I could smell the Dish-Dash perfume they all wear. But for some reason, they changed direction and walked straight passed us.”

Pte. Copping then alerted the rest of the troop and they engaged the six men, resulting in a 40 minute fire fight.

He said: “That might not sound like a long time but it is when you’re being shot at.” (Ibid)

The following year Copping was employed by the Army’s recruiting team in London, and he was chosen to carry the FA Cup trophy out at Wembley before the 2008 final.

Sold with the following related items: named card box of issue for campaign award; a number of photographs from various stages of recipient’s service career - including during Op Telic 8, and with H.M. the Queen at the investiture ceremony; a quantity of newspaper cuttings relating to the award, and a number of photocopied letters of congratulation.