Fowler, FA

Captain Frank Archibald Fowler

Frank was born on October 27th 1885, the second of three sons born to pub landlord Henry Fowler and his wife, Mary. All three Fowler boys would go on to attend the College, in Frank’s case starting at the beginning of 1901, not long after having turned fifteen. After leaving two and a half years later he went on to train as both a surveyor and an auctioneer, becoming an associate of both institutions in 1907. It was to be surveying which he chose as a full time profession, however, and he was to become a partner in Fowler & Fowler, a surveyor’s firm based in West Norwood.
In February of 1916 Frank joined the armed forces for the first time, at first as a member of the Artists Rifles, but would shortly proceed through first Cadet School and then the School of Gunnery. In December of that year he was granted a commission in the Royal Garrison Artillery, and proceeded to Belgium for the first time in March 1917. He was serving with the 295th Siege Battery when he was promoted to Captain in May, and was second in command of the Battery when, on July 28th, he was killed by a German shell blast near Armentieres.