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Samuel Cowan

General

Sir Samuel Cowan
Born (1941-10-09) 9 October 1941 (age 83)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1963-2002
RankGeneral
Service number474845
UnitRoyal Corps of Signals
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

General Sir Samuel Cowan KCB CBE (born 9 October 1941) is a former Quartermaster-General to the Forces.

Career

Educated at Lisburn Technology College and the Open University, Cowan was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Signals in 1963.[1] In 1980, he became Commanding Officer of the Headquarters & Signals Regiment for 2nd Armoured Division.[1]

In 1989 he was selected to be Commandant of the Royal Military College of Science[2] and then in 1991 he became Assistant Chief of Defence Staff, Operational Requirements (Land Systems).[3] From 1995 he undertook a tour as Inspector General for Doctrine & Training.[4]

He was Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1996[5] to 1998 when he became Chief of Defence Logistics.[6] He retired in 2002.[7]

He was an Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen.[8]

He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Signals,[9] the Brigade of Gurkhas[10] and of the Army Legal Corps.[11]

Nepal studies

Cowan was associated with Gurkhas via various positions in his job role. He first visited Nepal in 1966. During his annual visits to Nepal as Colonel Commandant, he had audiences with the reigning monarchs of Nepal, delivered a report on the Brigade of Gurkhas, and trekked numerous times. After his retirement, he published Essays on Nepal, in which he covered Nepal affairs including its frontiers, the Maoist insurgency, human rights, corruption in high places, and the manner of governance.[12][13]

Cowan is a frequent and prolific contributor to The Record (Nepal), an independent digital publication from Kathmandu.[14] He has written over a dozen articles for the publication on a wide range of Nepal-related subjects, including the history of the Rana regime,[15][16][17] reflections on the British Gurkhas,[18] border issues between Nepal and India,[19] and those between Nepal and China.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "Burke's Peerage and Gentry". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
  2. ^ "No. 51665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 March 1989. p. 2813.
  3. ^ "No. 52659". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 September 1991. p. 14123.
  4. ^ "No. 53992". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 March 1995. p. 4692.
  5. ^ "No. 54384". The London Gazette. 29 April 1996. p. 6083.
  6. ^ Birthdays[dead link] The Times, 9 October 2007
  7. ^ "No. 56757". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 November 2002. p. 14005.
  8. ^ "No. 55935". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 August 2000. p. 8748.
  9. ^ "No. 56770". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 December 2002. p. 14651.
  10. ^ "No. 53690". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1994. p. 8296.
  11. ^ "No. 52427". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 January 1991. p. 1051.
  12. ^ David Gellner, Essays on Nepal by Sam Cowan, The Gurkha Brigade Association, retrieved 20 November 2019.
  13. ^ Essays on Nepal, School of Oriental and African Studies, 22 November 2018.
  14. ^ The Record. "Home - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  15. ^ The Record. "The maharaja and the monarch - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  16. ^ The Record. "Ranas and Gongs - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  17. ^ The Record. "Baber Shumshere's relentless quest - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  18. ^ The Record. "Men of valour: A personal tribute - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  19. ^ The Record. "The Indian checkposts, Lipu Lekh, and Kalapani - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  20. ^ The Record. "The Araniko Highway conundrum - The Record". www.recordnepal.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
Military offices
Preceded by Commandant of the Royal Military College of Science
1989–1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by Quartermaster-General to the Forces
1996–1998
Succeeded by
New title
DLO formed
Chief of Defence Logistics
2000–2002
Succeeded by

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