Horace Cowlin was born in South Kensington, London, in 1884 to Frederick, a provisions merchant, and his wife Susannah. The Cowlins had nine children including Horace. By 1901, Horace’s mother had died (her husband apparently never remarried), and the family were living in Mitcham, Surrey. Horace attended the Whitgift School in Croydon and by 1909 was living in Wimbledon.
In 1912, Horace married Mabel Metland Ayers. The couple lived at 178 High Road, Ilford, according to Horace’s probate. He was the proprietor of a jewellery shop in Ilford High Road.
Horace Cowlin served with the 1st/5th Battalion, the London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), arriving in France in June 1915. He was killed on the first day of the battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916, whilst saving the lives of his fellow comrades. His story was published just weeks later, in the Ilford Guardian and Ilford Recorder, where it was revealed that ‘He [Mr. Cowlin] was in the act of throwing a bomb at the Germans when he was shot in the wrist and dropped the bomb, thus setting the fuse going, and as all his section were round him…there was nowhere he could get rid of the thing, so he laid on it. Poor old chap, he was a fine fellow.’
In August 1916, Mr. Cowlin’s fellow members of the Ilford Chamber of Commerce met to discuss proposals to erect a memorial in his honour. It was decided that a wooden shelter, something both ornamental and useful, would be gifted to Ilford Council. This shelter and a stone memorial tablet, unveiled on 6 December 1917, can be found in Valentines Park.
Horace’s name is also featured at the Ilford War Memorial Hall where it is followed by the letters V.C. This is because up to the time that the memorial was completed, it was hoped that the award would eventually be announced. Unfortunately, this was never to materialise as actions meriting the award of the Victoria Cross had to be corroborated by an officer and none were present at the time to witness Horace’s heroic deed.
Horace’s younger brother, Hugh, was also killed during the war.
Research by Redbridge Museum, with thanks to Frances Speakman
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com
Ilford Guardian, 28th July 1916: Ilford Tradesman Gives His Life For His Comrades
Ilford Recorder, 28th July 1916: High Road Tradesman Killed
Ilford Recorder, 18th August 1916: To Honour an Ilford Hero
Ilford Urban District Council Minutes, 6th February 1917: Public Memorial to the Late Mr. Cowlin
Findagrave.com: Cpl Horace Cowlin
Whitgift.co.uk: Whitgift School remembers WW1