Career
Cope was raised in Waterloo, Lambeth, London, the eldest of eleven children born to Alfred and Margaret. By the age of fourteen he was employed as an office clerk and ten years later, in 1901, he was working for the Inland Revenue. Following a career as a detective in Her Majesty Customs and Excise, Cope became Second Secretary at the Ministry of Pensions (1919-1920).
He was appointed Assistant Under-Secretary in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence in May 1920, as part of a task force appointed by Lloyd George to clean up the civil administration of Dublin Castle which was in chaos.
Cope was enlisted with Sir John Anderson, the finest permanent secretary of his generation, and Macready, the best qualified army general. Cope"s forensic and analytical skills were needed to get on top of the intelligence data being secured from informants about Ireland Republican Army activity, which was increasingly violent.
Cope was also needed to help collect taxes to stem the tide of civil disobedience, lawless parts of Dublin. In particular the gun-running incidents showed the lie to claims that the police were respected and respectable.
"Many of them became just as aggressive as the Tans or Auxies".
Cope and the Inspector-General were deployed at the Castle to interrogate suspects. The British required police to carry arms provoking a policy of violent reprisals. When RIC representative Tim Brennan had the temerity to suggest an unarmed approach with policy of support for Dominion Home Rule, Cope made it plain what London required.
Cope seems to have reported to the Prime Minister that General Tudor like to burn and shoot as Official Reprisals.
But Cope was a friend to the ordinary rank and file, who blamed the policy outcomes on poor leadership. Yet in late 1920 the British were winning the war.
Although Macready banned reprisals in August 1920, the policemen that surrounded Cope still believed they "do good". Cope had ever since her had arrived in Dublin sought to urge upon the church reconciliation: the moment De Valera walked into Portobello Barracks, he had in fact been in negotiations with Bishop Fogarty and another prelate to secure peace.At the same time Cope and MacMahon were responsible for arranging a meeting between De Valera and the Ulsterman James Craig.
But De Valera resisted treaty moves, when Cope was continually meeting Collins and others
Following the Treaty, Cope assisted Sir Nevil Macready in supervising the withdrawal of British forces from Ireland. He received a knighthood in 1922.
