Chief Commissioner in the St John Ambulance Brigade, No. 1 District Metropolitan Corps, 1895-1911. Knight Justice in the Order of St John.
In 2012 Roger Bowdler posted this at Genealogy: "My gt-grandfather was born in Hull in 1839 as Cyril William Bowdler Bell: his mother was Lucy Bowdler (b. London 1810, . Hull 1896) and her father William Bowdler (I believe born in Salop. but evidence is scanty). CWBB became a colonel in the Army and changed his name to his mother's in the 1890s, d.1918. His son was Basil Wilfred Bowdler Bowdler (1873-1960), another Army officer. My father was Hugh Bowdler (1928-2001). If anyone knows about this line, I'd be very interested to her from them."
Also at HymnTime we found: "Cyril William Bowdler, 1839–1918, born: 1839, Hull, died: November 5, 1918. Bowdler was an English organist and composer." And York & District Organists' Association has "Cyril William Bowdler (1839-1918) was born in Hull in 1839. A pupil of John Camidge and Sir Robert Prescott Stewart, he was briefly honorary organist of All Saints’ Church, Aldershot." and list 3 organ pieces that he published 1894 - 1926."
National University of Ireland, Maynooth Lists Cyril William Bowdler Bell as a 1864 Trinity College Dublin Bachelor of Music recipient.
Was made Knight Justice in the Order of St John on 7 November 1918. and there we also found confirmation that the colonel and the composer are the same man: "“Colonel Bowdler was for several years a Deputy Commissioner, and afterwards Chief Commissioner, of the St. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas, holding the latter appointment during the whole time of the South African and Chinese wars. He received the Companionship of the Bath for the services of the Order's Departmental Units during these wars. He was the founder of the Royal Naval Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve, the Brigade Bearer Companies and the Military Home Hospitals Reserve. He paid great attention to the revision of the Regulations for the St. John Ambulance Brigade. He was a man of many attainments, not only following his profession as a soldier, but holding the degrees of M. R. C. S. and MUS. DOC. Amongst his musical compositions was the anthem on the Eight Beatitudes, which has several times been used in the Grand Priory Church of the Order.”
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