Christopher Copus was born on 28 February 1895 in Swansea. He was the only son of Frederick William and Edith Mary Copus.

The first record of Christopher is in the 1901 Census. The family, Frederick, Edith, Christopher and his 2 sisters were living at 149 Rhyddings Park Rd and his father Frederick was described as a Monumental Mason.

By the time of the 1911 Census, the whole family had moved to 7 Burman St, Swansea. Frederick was still working as a Monumental Mason and Christopher, aged 17, had followed in his fathers footsteps as an Apprentice Mason.

After war was declared in 1914, Christopher would have seen little of his family in Swansea, other than a few short periods of leave, until after the end of the war.

In April 1920, he rejoined the Territorials and on his surviving forms he was described as 5 foot, 6 and a quarter, fresh complexion, hazel eyes and light brown hair.

On 9 December 1920, Christopher married Eleanor Elizabeth Prosser at St Marys, Swansea. Christopher gave his address as 17 Hanover St and both Christopher and Frederick gave their occupations as Sculptors on the Marriage Certificate.

Christopher and Eleanor welcomed 2 children, Kenneth John in 1921 and Edith Elizabeth in 1922.

After this time, no other confirmed records of Christopher have been found.

Christopher Copus joined the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade as a Gunner in May 1913. He was given the Service Number 710 and given that he was from Swansea, it is likely that he was a member of the 1st Glamorgan Battery (based at the Drill Hall on Richardson Street).

Being a Territorial Force unit, Gnr Copus would have attended regular drill sessions in the evenings and annual summer camps.

When war was declared in 1914, it is probable that Gnr Copus was at summer camp on Salisbury Plain. Along with the rest of the Brigade, he would have swiftly returned to Swansea and been embodied for War Service on 5 August 1914.

The Brigade initially moved to Shrewsbury and then, after a 3 week stay, moved to Northampton where they trained until December 1914. Just before Christmas, they moved to Cambridge where they remained until May 1915 when they moved to Bedford.

His Medal Index Card confirms that he, along with the rest of the Brigade, travelled from Southampton to Le Havre on 22 November 1915. From there they moved to the Somme area, where they underwent further training, including a period in the front-line South-East of Albert (an area that marked the southern edge of the Somme battlefield just 6 months later).

Just before Christmas 1915, the Brigade withdrew from the front-line and in January 1916, received orders to rejoin the rest of the 53rd Welsh Division in Egypt.

Whilst there are no records stating that Gnr Copus went to Egypt, it would be unusual if he had not. The Brigade moved to Egypt in February 1916 and after a period of acclimatization near Cairo, they were involved in Suez Canal defences (1916), the 3 Battles of Gaza and march into Jerusalem (1917) and the push through Palestine and the Judean Hills until the victory over the Turkish Armies in 1918.

Most of the men returned to Alexandria in December 1918 and returned to England to be demobilized on the 18 March 1919.

For his service in the Great War, 710, Gnr C. Copus was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Christopher Copus rejoined the Territorials as a Sergeant in the 81st Field Artllery Brigade on 29 May 1920 and served for another 16 years, being awarded the Territorial Efficiency Medal in 1927.