BORN HULL 1897. ELDEST SON OF MAUDE (1865-1951) AND ARTHUR HENRY COWLEY (1861-1949), OF 430 ANLABY ROAD, HULL (1911 CENSUS) AND 55 ST JOHN’S AVENUE, BRIDLINGTON. SON OF A WINE AND SPIRITS MERCHANT. HE HAD A YOUNGER BROTHER, JOHN. HE WAS EDUCATED AT HYMERS COLLEGE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, WHERE HE TRAINED AS A DENTIST. DURING THE WAR, HE SERVED AS LIEUTENANT IN THE 11TH EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT AND WAS ATTACHED TO THE 92ND TRENCH MORTAR BATTERY WHEN WOUNDED. HE DIED OF WOUNDS, ON 09/08/1918, AGED 21. HE WAS AWARDED THE MILITARY CROSS (MC) TWICE FOR BRAVERY. THIS WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL ON THE 11TH OCTOBER 1917, WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPH. * HE IS BURIED AT LONGUENESSE (ST. OMER) SOUVENIR CEMETERY, FRANCE. HE LEFT £80 IN HIS WILL TO HIS FATHER, ARTHUR.
London Gazette 17/09/1917, Military Cross citation- ” For conspicious gallantry and devotion to duty during a raid. His party having gone too far, he withdrew them and a large party of others, and led them back to the front line under very heavy hostile barrage and machine gun fire. He shot two of the enemy himself as he entered the enemy’s trench, where he also obtained valuable information, and afterwards returned to collect any stragglers that might have lost their way, displaying total disregard of his own safety and great coolness throughout”
T./Lt. Frank Wheatley Cowley, M.C., E. York. B. .For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. When the line became considerably out of touch on the flank, he filled the gap from the supporting waves, and his coolness and skill were largely responsible for the success of the attack. When the objective was reached he went forward, in spite of heavy shelling from an enemy gun firing with open sights, to ascertain the condition of the bridges in front of our line. He set a fine example of courage. (M.C. gazetted 17th September, 1917.)
