Josh Cooper (cryptographer) facts for kids

Joshua Edward Synge Cooper, known as Josh, was a very clever English code-breaker. He was born in London in 1901 and passed away in 1981. Josh helped his country by working with secret codes. He received special awards for his important work, including the CB and CMG.

Who Was Josh Cooper?

Josh was the oldest son of Richard Edward Synge Cooper and Mary Eleanor Burke. His parents were married in Dublin a year before he was born.

Early Life and Education

Josh went to several good schools. He studied at Shrewsbury School, Brasenose College, Oxford, and King's College London. He was especially good at languages. He earned a top degree in Russian from King's College London. Before joining the government, he taught at a school in Margate.

Becoming a Code-Breaker

In October 1925, Josh joined a secret government group. This group was called the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS). His special job was to break Russian codes and ciphers. He worked with another expert, Ernst Fetterlein. They focused on secret messages from Soviet diplomats. One of the first messages he read was from Moscow. It was sent to the Soviet representative in Washington.

Later, from 1929 to 1930, Josh worked in the Naval Section. Here, he attacked Russian Naval Codes. He even traveled to Sarafand for 15 months. There, he investigated communications from the Black Sea Fleet. In 1936, he became the head of a new section. This was the Air Section at GC&CS.

World War II and Bletchley Park

During World War II, Josh played a very important role. He worked at Bletchley Park, a top-secret place. This was where many code-breakers worked to break enemy codes. Josh was the head of the Air Section there. His team's work was vital for the war effort. For his service, he received two special awards. He was given the CMG in 1943 and the CB in 1958.

Post-War Contributions

After the war, Josh continued his work with languages. He wrote a Russian grammar book. Many people thought it was one of the best Russian grammar books ever published.

Josh also had a brother named Arthur. Arthur was born in 1916. He was also a linguist, specializing in Chinese and Japanese. Arthur worked for other intelligence groups. After the war, Arthur translated a book of Chinese poems. It was called Li Po and Tu Fu. This book was published in the Penguin Classics series.