Francis Fowler, known as Frank, was born in 1887 in Great Gaddesden the third son of Henry and Adelaide Chappel. He was christened on the 31st July 1887 in the church of St. John the Baptist, Great Gaddesden when his parents were living in ‘Bird’s Cottages’, Potten End.

Frank was one of five brothers; Albert (Bert) and William (Will) who were older, then Arthur and Sidney, both younger. All five sons of Henry and Adelaide served in the Great War, four of whom survived the conflict.

Henry Fowler was working as a Bricklayers Labourer when Frank was born, but by 1901 he was recorded as a Gardener on the Census return and the family had moved to 17 Chapel Street in Hemel Hempstead. Frank was an Errand Boy at fourteen years of age.

By 1911 Frank was working as a Book Binder and living with his family at 36 Alma Road, one of the lost streets of Hemel Hempstead. Alma Road, previously Gade Street, had been so named to commemorate the Battle of Alma in the Crimean War. It ran from Bury Road to join with Marlowes, but it was demolished in the 1960’s to make way for West Herts College.

Frank attested between 28th August and 3rd September at Hemel Hempstead joining the Bedfordshire Regiment, and after completing his basic training, he left for France where he disembarked on 27th April 1915. He was posted to the 1st Battalion Beds three days later on 30th April at Ouderdom about five miles west of Ypres. It appears he was one of 100 men sent straight to the trenches the same night.

The Battalion war diaries record events: "30 Apr 1915 Do. Draft of three officers & 300 other ranks arrived at OUDERDOM. One officer & 100 men sent on same night to trenches. Some difficulty in getting stores & supplies to trenches recently owing to constant & persistent shelling of all roads & approaches by enemy. Casualties - 1 killed, 1 wounded"

Only five days later Frank was killed in the trenches during ferocious fighting as the Germans attempted to recapture Hill 60: "5 May 1915 At a little after 8 a.m. enemy attacked with asphyxiating gas laid on from two points opposite our trenches. Battn stuck to its trenches, though a few men killed by gas, & all were badly affected. Troops on right, however, were driven out of trenches & enemy captured Hill 60 & trenches on our immediate right. Our left trenches were then attacked but drove back enemy: our right trenches were attacked all day with bombs, rifles & machine guns. Desperate fight all day enemy & selves in same trench, both sides using hand grenades fiercely. Enemy eventually worked round our right flank & enfiladed our right, but men gallantly maintained their position. A Battery of our own artillery spent the whole day firing into our own right trenches, causing many casualties but in spite of everything right trenches held out."

Frank almost certainly experienced the gas attack and he was Killed in Action on Wednesday, 5th May 1915. Shortly afterwards the Battalion War Diaries recorded the high number of casualties: "7 May 1915 - hutments near Ouderdom Battn relieved by R.I.Rifles about 2 a.m. & marched back to hutments in reserve. Casualties during two previous days about 3 officers & 290 men."

Frank was one of six Hemel men killed at Hill 60. His death was reported in the Hemel Gazette in October 1915 along with information about his four brothers.

Frank appears on the Hemel Hempstead War Memorial twice, once as Francis and once as Frank.

He is Remembered with Honour at Bedford House Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium where he is interred in Enclosure No.4 XI. D. 9.

Frank was 27 years old when he was killed.

He was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.