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Lance Corporal Theodore Humphrey FOWLER (2446)
C Company, 1st Battalion Honourable Artillery Company Date of birth: 25th September 1879 Date of death: 17th August 1915 Died aged 35 Buried at Cirencester Cemetery Row R Grave 75
Theodore Humphrey Fowler was born at Cirencester on the 25th of September 1879 the youngest son of Dr Oliver Humphrey Fowler MRCS OL and Caroline (nee Slocock) Fowler of Ashcroft House, Lewis Lane, Cirencester in Gloucestershire. He was christened at Cirencester on the 21st of November 1879. He was educated at Grange House School at Worth in Sussex and at Lancing College where he was in School House from January 1894 to July 1897. He was a member of the Football XI from 1895 to 1897, was the wicketkeeper of the Cricket XI from 1894 to 1897, being Captain in the latter year. In 1897 the Lancing College Magazine wrote the following on his season that year:- "Began the season in excellent form, and played several brilliantly hit innings, but during the latter half has had a continuous run of bad luck, which has quite destroyed his nerve. His batting failures have materially affected the success of the eleven, but on the other hand he has proved a competent Captain and has handled his team with judgement. A useful wicketkeeper, but has hardly fulfilled expectations." For two years he won all the long distance races at the College, Sports 1896/97 and was Victor Ludorum in 1897. He was appointed as a House Captain in 1896 and was a member of the Officer Training Corps. On leaving school he studied at St Bartholomew’s Hospital from the 4th of October 1898 to 1902 and later worked as a brewer in Weymouth. He played county cricket for Gloucestershire from 1901 with his most memorable innings being against the County of London in 1903 where he scored 114 in a stand of 277 with Wrathall for the first wicket. Between 1901 and 1914 Theodore Fowler played 46 first class matches with 78 innings and scored 1,057 first class runs at an average of 14.28 with one century and five scores of fifty. He also bowled on occasion and took 35 catches and one stumping in his first class career. Following the outbreak of war he enlisted firstly in the University and Public School Corps at Epsom in August 1914 and then in the Honourable Artillery Company at their Headquarters at Armoury House, City Road in London on the 3rd of October 1914. He was six feet tall and was posted to the Reserve Battalion where he completed his training on the 18th of December. He was posted to the 1st Battalion and left Southampton on the 28th of December 1914 landing in France the following day. He joined his battalion in the field on the 13th of January 1915 where he was attached to C Company. He was wounded on the 12th of March 1915 but was not evacuated and returned to duty. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in the field on the 16th of March 1915. On the 17th of April he was wounded at Dickebusch by a gunshot wound to the face and was evacuated by the 8th Field Ambulance and taken to No.8 Casualty Clearing Station at Ballieul. Later the same day he was taken to 14 General Hospital at Boulogne. On the 20th of April he was moved to 9 General Hospital at Rouen where he was discharged on the 24th and returned to his unit on the 26th of April. On the 16th of June 1915 he was wounded as a result of shell shock received at Ypres during the HAC's attack at Hooge. On the 29th of June 1915 he was evacuated by No.9 Field Ambulance suffering from a hernia and arrived at No 5 Casualty Clearing Station on the 30th. On the 2nd of July he was moved to 16 General Hospital at Le Treport and on the 7th of July he was moved again to No. 5 Casualty Clearing Station at Hazebrouck. Later the same day he was evacuated to England and was taken to the County of London War Hospital at Epsom. He died of pyrexia at 7.45pm on the 17th of August following an operation for his hernia. His brother, Captain Reginald Fowler of the 7th Battalion Nottinghamshire Regiment, was informed of his death by telegram the following day.

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