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The Cooper family from Ramsgate were mariners who were involved in the early days of the Lifeboat Service. The earliest date confirmed is a marriage in 1763 between John Cooper and Hannah Kipps. Their descendents include a Thomas Cooper, Born 1815 who with his son Tom Junior was on the rescue of the Indian Chief in January 1881 - all crew members received medals. Two other sons, Alexander and William, were also crew members, William serving as Cox for over 25 years. Thomas Junior had a son Edward who served at the rescue of the British Troops from Dunkirk in 1940. His son Tommy was cox during the 1960s and 1970s, and his son Dennis retired as crew member in the mid 1990s. Family research has mainly taken the form of parish records, census returns and newspaper reports - each time the lifeboat was sent out it was recorded in the local press. There is also a wealth of information in the book of the history of the Ramsgate RNLI station, plus information in the Maritime Museum on Ramsgate Harbour.
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