FRANCIS COWLEY
BIOGRAPHY OF HIS BRASS BANDING LIFE
Francis Cowley began playing the cornet at the age of nine years with Wroughton Silver Band, following in the footsteps of his Father, a cornet player with the Band and his Grandfather, who was a founder member of the Band.
After a short while with Wroughton Silver Band, Francis moved to the then Great Western Railway Social, Education and Union Staff Association Band, whose name has changed over the years to Swindon British Rail Staff Association Band, John Holmes Swindon Concert Brass, Swindon Concert Brass and to its most recent name of Swindon Pegasus Brass, which has now folded.
Fran left the Band for a short while in 1945 when he was conscripted into the Army. During this time he maintained his interest in music and was Principal Cornet for his Regimental Band (The Wiltshire Regiment).
Apart from his enthusiasm for Brass Bands, Fran was a very keen Big Band trumpet player, again playing for his Regimental Dance Band whilst in the Army and eventually assisted in founding the Swindon Big Band for which he played Lead Trumpet until the bands demise in 2017. Fran was also a very experienced Solo Cornetist, competing locally and nationally, at one point in his playing career was fourth best player in the Country, having been placed below three other cornet players and above other instrumentalists from the brass band world, Fran was also undefeated Champion Solo Cornetist of Wessex.
On completion of his conscripted service to the Army, Fran came back to Wroughton and took up his membership again with the G.W.R.S.E. and U. Band in Swindon, as Principal Cornet and Bandmaster, playing an important part in the development of the Band.
In 1966, whilst starting work as a peripatetic music teacher in Swindon, Fran was influential in founding a Club for young musicians in the Swindon area (Swindon Instrumental Music Club, known more recently as Swindon Young Musicians). Fran helped the club grow from a mere handful of string, woodwind and brass players into the vast organisation of over eight hundred members at the time of his retirement in December 1994.
In 1974 Fran founded a Youth Brass Band within Swindon Young Musicians and remained their Musical Director for twenty years, whilst continuing to play Principal Cornet for the British Rail Staff Association Band and Lead Trumpet with Swindon Big Band.
In his own right, Fran took part in European tours with brass bands as a guest soloist.
In 1982 Fran extended the Youth Brass Band so that older members could continue to play and started contesting a Fourth Section Band (also known as S.Y.M. Youth Brass Band), which was successful at a local competitive level.
After thirty three years as Principal Cornet with the (by now) Swindon Concert Brass, and playing under Joe Alder, Roly Mundy, Cyril Winstone, George Snook, Barbara Stone and Denzil Stephens, Fran took over as Musical Director in 1983, following the retirement of the then M.D. Courtney Bosanko M.B.E..
As a Conductor with both Swindon Concert (Pegasus) Brass and the Youth Brass Bands, Fran had been very successful. Within his first eighteen months with Swindon Concert Brass, he had taken the Band through twelve contests, eleven of which saw the Band in the winning frame.
Frans successes with the Youth Brass Band run into a small catalogue including winning the West of England Youth Brass Band Champions title in 1977, 1984, 1985 and 1991. In 1993, Fran led them to success in the West of England Open Youth Brass Band Championships. As a result of these successes, Fran has had the privilege of conducting the Youth Brass Band in such locations as The Royal Albert Hall, London – bringing back memories of the time he sat on the stage of The Royal Albert Hall as Principal Cornet with the Swindon British Railway Staff Association Band when they participated in the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain (Championship Section) under Barbara Stone in 1973.
Fran continued in the post of Musical Director to Swindon Pegasus Brass until October 1991, where, after more than fifty years loyal service to them, he terminated his membership, feeling that he could channel his efforts with more effectiveness, elsewhere. It was this move that saw the Birth of Swindon Brass (then Swindon Band (s.y.m.)), as a Fourth Section Band, and, in only two years, Fran had led them successfully to the Status of Second Section. During this time, Fran was still Musical Director of Swindon Youth Brass Band.
In December1994, aged 67 and retiring from full time work as a peripatetic music teacher, Fran had to relinquish his position as Musical Director of Swindon Youth Brass Band, but continued as Musical Director to Swindon Brass (previously known as Swindon Band (s.y.m.)).
Having retired from full time work for Swindon Borough Council, he
continued to teach at Pinewood School, Bourton, near Shrivenham, until his 86th birthday in May 2013.
Fran continued as Musical Director to Swindon Brass through its ups and downs, and has achieved, with the Band, at 2013’s National Brass Band Championships Qualifying rounds, promotion to Third Section after a number of years back in the Fourth Section. 2013 also saw Fran take the Band to the National Finals for the second time in eight years. Up until lockdown in late March 2020 (after the West of England area championships), Fran had been in attendance, either playing, conducting, or both, at the West of England Qualifying rounds of the National Championships of Great Britain for a remarkable 71 consecutive years. Fran’s final appearance on stage was in March 2022, when the championships resumed, as principal cornet to Swindon Brass, before retiring from brass banding in July 2022.
Fran’s very first appearance at the Championships was at Alexandra Palace with Wroughton Band in 1938 (the last Championships to be held before the 39-45 War). He was unable to participate after the War whilst serving in the Army, but on leaving the Army in 1948 took up playing again with the Railway Band, competing at the Championships in 1949 and every year since.
Fran was fortunate enough to be invited to a brass band workshop in 2017, organised by Wroughton Silver Band. The band had engaged the service of Dr Robert Childs (Doctor of Musical Arts), to lead the workshop.
On Robert’s entrance to the hall, Dr Childs mad e a beeline for Fran saying “Well I never, Francis Cowley. Dad used to take me and my brother (Nicholas) all over the country as children, to see you play in solo contests. The programme usually read “first prize – Francis Cowley”. It’s a pleasure to meet you, please can I have my photograph taken with you?”
In recent years, Fran also served as President to the Wessex Brass Band Association.
Francis was a calm and unassuming man yet at the same time professional and driven, someone who had devoted a long life to music, either performing, leading or teaching. Fran was a man who beavered away quietly in the background, his reward being no more than the enrichment of our cultural life and experience. You may not have known Francis personally but in and around Wiltshire, and Europe, many will have enjoyed, at some point, the hundreds of local musicians he both trained and inspired, in a long and busy life.
One of Fran’s other duties was to perform Last Post and Reveille on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday at Swindon Cenotaph, which he’d done for the last 58 years. This, the 59th year, due to health issues, Fran made the tough decision to stand down but he was still able to lay a wreath on Armistice Say (Saturday 11th November) for his former Regiment – The Wiltshire Regiment.
November 2023.
