Category Archives: Isle of Man

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, Isle of Man, photography, Royal Garrison Artillery, story, war

Gunner Francis Carter

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Gunner Francis Carter

An inquest was held at Plymouth on Monday on Francis Albert Carter, 27, [Royal Garrison Artillery], late of 45 Lang-road, Paignton, auctioneer and valuer. Deceased was visiting his wife, who was staying with friends at St Hilary-terrace, St Jude’s, Plymouth, on the 8th inst., and died suddenly. Dr Ward said death was due to valvular disease of the heart. Deceased had only been in the artillery about three weeks. Deceased… was formerly in business with his brother as a house and estate agent…

[Western Times: Friday 15th December 1916]

Tracing the details of Francis Albert Carter’s life is a bit of a challenge, although the 1911 census records him living at 11 Shirburn Terrace, Torquay, Devon. At 21 years of age, he is noted as having been born in Lezayre, on the Isle of Man. He was living with his mother – the widow Sarah Carter, who was living on independent means – and his brother, 14-year-old Louis, who had been born in Halifax, Yorkshire. Francis was employed as a house agent, while Louis seems to have been his apprentice.

The previous census had recorded the family of three living in Torquay, and confirms that Sarah had been widowed by the time her youngest was four years old.

There is no information about Francis’ marriage, nor any indications as to who his wife might have been.

With regard to his time in the army, it is clear that he enlisted in the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner in November 1916, and was on a break from his training when he visited his wife and her friends on the day he died.

There is little more detail available for Francis Albert Carter. He was laid to rest in Paignton’s sweeping cemetery, not far from where his mother and brother were still living.

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Isle of Man, Kent, photography, Royal Engineers, story, unknown, war

Captain Francis Cowley

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Captain Francis Cowley

Francis Llewellyn Cowley – also known as ‘Frank’ was born in July 1877 on the Isle of Man. He was one of ten children to Thomas and Ann Cowley, farmers who owned 133 acres on the northern tip of the island.

Frank’s trail goes cold for a few years; he was still living on his father’s farm in 1891, but by 1913, had moved to to the mainland, settling in Kent.

It was here, in Gillingham, that Frank married Lily Matilda Carrington in the summer of 1913. Sadly there is little information about Lily, but the couple do not appear to have had any children.

Frank enlisted shortly after war broke out; he joined the Royal Engineers on 27th October 1914, and within a couple of years has reached the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Sadly again at this point Frank’s trail goes cold. He next appears in a newspaper article from 1st March 1919, when he is listed as having attended the funeral in Rainham, Kent, of Air Mechanic Herbert Holdstock. He is now listed as Captain F Cowley RE.

That was resolved to be a tantalising glimpse into Captain Cowley’s final few weeks. From this point, all the documents tell us is that he worked at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham.

Frank passed away on 18th March 1919, although no cause of death is recorded. He was 41 years old.

Francis Llewellyn Cowley lies at rest in the Woodlands Cemetery close to his home in Gillingham, Kent.