Walter Henry Cowan, First Baronet

Admiral SIR Walter Henry Cowan, First Baronet, K.C.B., D.S.O.*, M.V.O. (11 June, 1871 – 14 February, 1956), also known as "Tich" Cowan, was an officer of the Royal Navy in the First World War.

Early Life and Career

Cowan was born on 11 June, 1871 at Crickhowell, Brecknockshire, the eldest son of Walter Frederick James Cowan who settled after retirement from the Royal Welch Fusiliers with the rank of Major at Alveston, Warwickshire. His mother was Frances Anne, daughter of Henry John Lucas, physician, of Crickhowell. Although he had never been to school, Cowan passed into the navy in 1884, in the same term as David Beatty, with whom, two years later, he joined the Alexandra, flagship in the Mediterranean of the Duke of Edinburgh. Invalided after less than a year, he returned home, but eventually rejoined the Alexandra. She came home in 1889, and Cowan was appointed to the Volage in the training squadron where he was promoted Sub-Lieutenant in 1890. Appointed to the Boadicea, flagship on the East India station, he took passage in the Plassy, a gunboat which was being delivered to the Royal Indian Marine. The Plassy took four months to reach Bombay, being nearly lost in a Bay of Biscay storm. Promoted Lieutenant in 1892, Cowan was appointed First Lieutenant of the gunboat Redbreast whence, after about a year, he was invalided again, this time with dysentery. On recovery, he applied for the west coast of Africa, then a very unhealthy station but with the attraction for Cowan that it offered a better chance of active service in one or other of the many punitive expeditions.

Cowan was appointed in 1894 to the small cruiser Barrosa, in which he was to serve for three and a half years. He assisted in refloating the French gunboat Ardent which had grounded 170 miles up the Niger River and soon afterwards was landed with the punitive expedition against Nimbi. After three months at the Cape the Barrosa was due for a turn of duty on the east coast where Cowan at once came in for the Mwele expedition, followed by a number of smaller expeditions from individual ships. The Barrosa's next visit to the west coast was just in time for the Benin expedition of 1897 in which Cowan had control of the carriers. For the third time he was awarded the general Africa medal, this time with the Benin clasp.

Cowan's next appointment was to the Boxer, destroyer in the Mediterranean, which he commanded for a bare six months before being transferred to Nile service, in which he commanded the river gunboat Sultan. In her he took part in the battle of Omdurman (1898), after which all the gunboats were ordered to Fashoda, where a French force under Marchand had arrived via central Africa. The task of dealing with the French devolved almost completely upon Cowan who had the satisfaction of seeing them depart for home via Abyssinia. Cowan was left in command of all the gunboats, all the other naval officers returning to England. He had over a year more in Egypt and was aide-de-camp to Sir Reginald Wingate in the pursuit of the Khalifa in 1899.

When Lord Kitchener left for South Africa, Cowan gained his permission to accompany him. His status was afterwards regularized by his appointment as Kitchener's aide-de-camp and the whole of 1900 was spent in the field. He returned to England with Lord Roberts, to whose staff he had just transferred, to be greeted coldly at the Admiralty for having gone to South Africa without Their Lordships' permission and for having been over two years away from sea service. Yet he was appointed to the battleship Prince George as First Lieutenant and, in June 1901, promoted Commander at the age of thirty, with only eight and a half years' service as Lieutenant. Cowan married in that year Catherine Eleanor Millicent (d. 1934), daughter of Digby Cayley, of Brompton by Sawdon, Yorkshire; they had one daughter.

Cowan was next appointed to command the Falcon, destroyer, as second-in-command of the Devonport destroyers under Roger Keyes. He had several different ships in the next two years, at the end of which, having built up a great reputation as a destroyer officer, he moved up to succeed Keyes in command, transferring in 1905, at the end of his time, to the scout Skirmisher, in which he was promoted Captain on 31 December, 1906. He was then appointed to the cruiser Sapphire (1907) and in 1908 took command of the destroyers attached to the Channel Fleet. Then, after a year in the Reserve Fleet, he took command of a new light cruiser, the Gloucester (1910), for two years, taking no leave at all in the first so that he might have plenty in the second—for hunting, always a passion with him. He got plenty of it in his next job, two years as chief of staff to John de Robeck, the Admiral of Patrols, who was just as keen.

The Great War

When war broke out in 1914 Cowan was in command of the pre-dreadnought Zealandia, but he was not happy in a slow ship. In less than six months, however, he went to the battle cruiser Princess Royal as Flag Captain to Osmond Brock, an appointment after his own heart, for the battle cruisers were certain to be in the forefront of any action. Yet he had to wait for almost eighteen months before it came. In the Battle of Jutland (31 May, 1916), the Princess Royal was severely damaged and had over a hundred casualties. It took some two months to repair her, during which Cowan paid a visit to the British front in France. In June 1917 he was made Commodore, First Class of the First Light Cruiser Squadron. His ships were constantly at sea and Cowan with them, to his great delight, for if one were damaged and out of action he could always shift his broad pendant to another. On one occasion they went right into the Heligoland bight in the attempt to join action with a German light cruiser squadron, chasing it to within sight of Heligoland. On 2 September, 1918 he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral.

Post-war Activity

In January 1919 Cowan and his squadron were sent to the Baltic, where the situation was extraordinarily involved. His task, as soon appeared, was to hold the ring for Finland and the Baltic states against the Bolsheviks, while keeping the Germans, still armed, to the terms of the armistice. In this he was ably assisted on shore by Stephen Tallents. His command lasted until the end of 1919 and he left only when the Russians were sealed up in Kronstadt by ice. Six months later he returned for the plebiscite in Danzig and then relinquished his command.

In 1921 Cowan was appointed to command the Battle Cruiser Squadron, consisting only of the Hood and Repulse. The highlight of the period was a visit to Brazil in 1922 during the international exhibition, where they created a great impression, for the battle cruisers had never been smarter or more efficient. On 2 November, 1923 he was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral after which he held the Scottish command (1925–6). Before this was over he accepted with alacrity the America and West Indies command (1926–8). It was a peacetime cruise, with his flag first in the Calcutta, then in the Despatch, but it concluded with a characteristic success, the salving of the Dauntless which had grounded in the entrance to Halifax harbour. Cowan was promoted Admiral in 1 August, 1927, appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in 1930, and retired from the Active list in 1931.

Retirement and WWII

Cowan then became assistant secretary to the Warwickshire hounds; but on the outbreak of war in 1939 it was more than he could bear not to be involved. Eventually he was allowed to serve in the rank of Commander and was appointed to the commandos under his old friend and chief, Roger Keyes. In due course he found himself in Egypt and served with the commandos in their various activities in north Africa. Finally, when his unit was disbanded, he attached himself to the 18th King Edward VII's Own cavalry, an Indian regiment. He served with them in all their operations in the western desert until he was taken prisoner on 27 May, 1942 at Bir Hakeim. He had been overtaken by the German advance and was fired at by soldiers from an armoured car. After having shot one of them with his revolver and then run out of bullets, he surrendered. He was repatriated in 1943 and, reappointed to the commandos, headed for Italy, where he took part in many operations against the Dalmatian Islands. For these services in 1944 he was awarded a bar to the D.S.O. which he had won in 1898. By this time he was seventy-three and beginning to feel the strain. He returned to England, where an inspection of a Royal Marine commando about to go overseas was his last service. In 1945 he reverted to the Retired List. One more distinction, a very welcome one, was his: on 22 November, 1946 he was appointed Honorary Colonel, the 18th King Edward VII's Own cavalry, whom he visited in India in 1947. He retired once more to Kineton, and died in Warneford Hospital, Leamington Spa, on 14 February, 1956. In spite of his unequalled record of active service he had never even been wounded. He was appointed M.V.O. in 1904, C.B. in 1916, K.C.B. in 1919, and created a baronet in 1921.

Wealth at death; £33,604 13s. 5d.: Probate; 1 June, 1956.

Commands

• H.M.S. Sultan
• H.M.S. Falcon
• H.M.S. Gloucester
• H.M.S. Zealandia
• H.M.S. Princess Royal

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir W. Cowan" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 15 February, 1956. Issue 53455, col 11, pg. A.
• "Adml. Sir Walter Cowan" (Obituaries). The Times. Monday, 5 March, 1956. Issue 53471, col C, pg. 13.
• Dawson, Lionel George (1949). Sound of the Guns: Being an Account of the Wars and Service of Admiral Sir Walter Cowan. Oxford: Pen-in-Hand.

Papers

• Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.

Service Record

• The National Archives. ADM 196/43.