Background
Cochrane was born near Darlington, County Durham, the son of a wealthy land and coal mine owner.
Cochrane was born near Darlington, County Durham, the son of a wealthy land and coal mine owner.
He was educated at King"s College School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
His great-grandfather was Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald. He joined the Royal Horse Artillery and rose to the rank of Captain. In 1896, Cochrane, Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Henry Macdonald Moreton, and Captain Ernest du Boulay invented the Redwing Class, the first racing craft.
From 1909 to 1913, Cochrane was Rear Commodore of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.
He later served as County Director, Auxiliary Hospitals and Voluntary Aid Detachments on the Isle of Wight. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1919 New Year Honours for his service during the First World War.
Their daughter, Jean Cochrane, was also a top yachtswoman. She died unexpectedly on her yacht in 1946.