James Cowley
Encyclopedia
Major James Charles Cowley OBE DCM
(12 November 1919 – 21 December 2009) was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
(DCM) for gallantry whilst serving with the 5th Battalion The Coldstream Guards
in Belgium on 9 September 1944.
The Company of which he was CSM was involved in an attack on the village of Hephen. All the Company platoon commanders had become casualties during the period prior to the attack. The Company Commander was killed during the assault on the village. He assumed command of the Company under most difficult circumstances and held its position which was well forward of its objectives.
He was RSM Glider Pilot Regiment during 1942-43. Following the Second World War he was Regimental Sergeant Major
(RSM) 1 (Guards) Parachute Battalion and RSM 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. He served in the Suez Canal Zone, BAOR and Cyprus. He was commissioned
in 1953. He was Camp Commandant of the HQ 1st Independent Guards Brigade Group at Shorncliffe, Kent in 1957 to 1958, when they moved to Cyprus for first, the Iraq emergency in June that year, and following that internal security duties which included being posted to Limassol and Nicosia, returning afterwards to Tidworth. He was promoted to Major in the Coldstream Guards in 1964. He retired from the Army in 1968.
He was appointed Military Knight of Windsor in 1981. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1996. He was President of the DCM League and the Gallantry Medallists League from 1974 to 2000. He was a Vice Patron of The Gallantry Medallists' League from 2000.
He died on 21 December 2009.
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
(12 November 1919 – 21 December 2009) was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
(DCM) for gallantry whilst serving with the 5th Battalion The Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
in Belgium on 9 September 1944.
The Company of which he was CSM was involved in an attack on the village of Hephen. All the Company platoon commanders had become casualties during the period prior to the attack. The Company Commander was killed during the assault on the village. He assumed command of the Company under most difficult circumstances and held its position which was well forward of its objectives.
He was RSM Glider Pilot Regiment during 1942-43. Following the Second World War he was Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
(RSM) 1 (Guards) Parachute Battalion and RSM 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. He served in the Suez Canal Zone, BAOR and Cyprus. He was commissioned
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
in 1953. He was Camp Commandant of the HQ 1st Independent Guards Brigade Group at Shorncliffe, Kent in 1957 to 1958, when they moved to Cyprus for first, the Iraq emergency in June that year, and following that internal security duties which included being posted to Limassol and Nicosia, returning afterwards to Tidworth. He was promoted to Major in the Coldstream Guards in 1964. He retired from the Army in 1968.
He was appointed Military Knight of Windsor in 1981. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1996. He was President of the DCM League and the Gallantry Medallists League from 1974 to 2000. He was a Vice Patron of The Gallantry Medallists' League from 2000.
He died on 21 December 2009.