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Stewart Cowan was a successful barrister who left his family and girlfriend behind to fight for a cause he believed in. Less than a year after he enlisted, Lieutenant Cowan was killed at the Battle of the Somme.
He was born in Sarnia on April 30, 1890, the son of John and Eliza Ann Cowan.
Stewart’s father John moved to Watford from Huron county and practiced law there until 1883. In February 1883, he formed a partnership with Mr. Lister, of Sarnia, and the Cowan family moved to Sarnia. A successful solicitor, he acted in that capacity for the townships of Sarnia, Moore, , Brooke, Dawn, the town of Sarnia and other municipalities.
Stewart Cowan grew up in the family home on Christina Street in Sarnia and was an active young man. He attended Sarnia public elementary schools and Sarnia Collegiate where he played high school football and
was a member of the Sarnia Collegiate Cadet Corps in 1907. Twenty-five-year-old Stewart Cowan enlisted in the Canadian Over- Seas Expeditionary Force on November 26, 1915 in London, Ontario, becoming a member of the 70th Battalion, with the rank of Lieutenant.
In July 1916, Mrs. W.B. Elsworth of Sarnia received the following letter from Stewart while in England:
"Dear Mrs. Elsworth,
Two dozen pairs of socks arrived today. I distributed them amongst Sarnia men who are with us. They were certainly more than glad to receive them and being from home they were doubly welcome. I wish you could have seen the men double out of their tents when they heard, “socks from Sarnia” called out. They asked me to thank the members of the Pro Patria Chapter, I.O.D.E. and to say that the socks were needed, as Kitchener boots are to say the least, a bit rough on socks. Again many thanks for the socks and best regards from everybody here to all the members of the chapter.
Yours sincerely, Stewart Cowan
Shorncliffe, England July 5th, 1916"
Two days after writing the above letter, on July 7, 1916, Lieutenant Cowan joined the Canadian Infantry, 24th Battalion.
Lieutenant Stewart Cowan took part in the fighting during the Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916), one of the bloodiest and most futile battles in history. The Somme battle lasted for more than four brutal months, and saw the Allies advance around 10 kilometers. Of the 85,000 Canadian Corps, there were more than 24,000 Canadian casualties.
The Battle was a stunning success for the Canadians, but it came at a cost of over 7,200 casualties. One month after injuring his rib, on October 1, 1916, Stewart Cowan lost his life “in the field” while fighting during the Battle of the Somme.
Following is the report on Stewart Cowan’s death from the October 13, 1916 Sarnia Observer, under the heading
LIEUT. STEWART COWAN MAKES SUPREME SACRIFICE:
"Another Sarnia young man has laid down his life for King and Country in the person of Lieut. Stewart Cowan, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Cowan of this city, and a promising young law student, who was killed in action
somewhere in France."
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