A good Western Desert Military Cross group awarded to Lieutenant Colonel F.E.S. Bowlby, Royal Scots Greys who was decorated with the Military Cross in the London Gazette of 11th March 1943 for his command of the Stuart Squadron of the Royal Scots Grey near Nofilia on 17th December 1942 when he was ordered to attack an enemy position, capturing five anti-tank guns and over 150 German prisoners. The success of this attack against this strongly held position was made possible by the speed and determination with which it was led. The position on this feature of the enemy’s right flank was of the greatest value during the remainder of the day’s operations.’ Along with the regiment he would take part in the landings in Salerno Bay, Italy on 9th September 1943, and would land in Normandy on 7th June 1944, subsequently taking part in the fighting around Hill 112 and most likely in the actions in the low countries and Germany, ending his war on the Baltic coast at Wismar, where his unit arrived just hours before the Red Army thus securing Denmark for the western allies.
Group of 6: Military Cross, GRI Cypher, the reverse engraved 1943; unnamed as issued in its original Royal Mint fitted box of issue. 1939-1945 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star, France and Germany Star; War Medal all housed in the original O.H.M.S. box addressed to Lt. Col. F.E.S. Bowlby, M.C., Culverthorpe Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Francis Edward Salvin Bowlby was born on 13th November 1904. He was the son of Arthur Salvin Bowlby and Catherine Mary Bowlby Bond. Educated at Eton College and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, Cambridge University. Before joining the Royal Scots Greys, and gaining the rank of Lieutenant in 1928.
He would marry Joan Catherine Trotter, daughter of Colonel Algernon Richard Trotter, 12th of Mortonhall and 3rd of Charterhall and Lady Edith Mary Montgomerie on 6th November 1930. Holding the office of Justice of the Peace for Hertfordshire in 1937.
He would then go on to fight during the Second World War seeing action in North Africa and being awarded the Military Cross in the London Gazette of 11th March 1943, the recommendation, originally for a Distinguished Service Order and subsequently downgraded to a Military Cross reading:
‘On 17 Dec 42 near Nofilia (near Sirte). Mahor F.E.S. Bowlby was in command of the Stuart Squadron of this Regiment, was ordered to attack an enemy position, capturing five anti-tank guns and over 150 German prisoners. The success of this attack against this strongly held position was made possible by the speed and determination with which it was led. Our position on this feature on the enemy’s right flank was of the greatest value during the remainder of the day’s operations.’
The history of the Royal Scots Greys states that upon the battle of El Alamein opened on the evening of 23rd October 1942, The Scots Greys escorting the Royal Engineers in minefield clearance on the southern end of the line. Through the mines first, they formed a bridgehead and took many prisoners
But the attack in the south was a feint to draw off the enemy armour before the main attack was launched in the north. After several unpleasant days of fighting, the Regiment was switched north and after the break-through pursued the fleeing enemy at the head of the Eighth Army. The Germans made a short stand at El Agheila, but after a left hook round their main position the Regiment was able to continue the advance to Nofilia, where they ran up against a strong enemy force of tanks and anti-tank guns. After a wholly successful old-fashioned cavalry charge in tanks, the enemy was dislodged and the Greys continued the advance through the desert to Tripoli, which was entered on 23rd January 1943.
He would later see service in both Italy where the regiment provided the armoured support the amphibious assault in Salerno Bay on 9th September 1943 and northwest Europe after D-Day, where the regiment would land on 7th June and take part in the heavy fighting in Normandy including in the actions around Hill 112 and would likely end in his war on the Baltic coast having beaten the Russian Army to the port of Wismar and thus secured Denmark for the western allies. He would become the Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Scots Greys. He would later live at Gilston Park, Hertfordshire and Culverthorpe Hall, Lincolnshire.
Bowlby died in Grantham, Lincolnshire on 1st May 1983.
