Bryan Fowler

Bryan Fowler was a descendant of a 12th century crusading archer called Robert Fowler of Foxley, who was knighted by Richard the Lionheart for his exploits. Descendants of Robert Fowler are said to have landed in Ireland in the 14th century.

Brigadier Bryan John Fowler was educated at Cheltenham College and then the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He served in World War I and received the Military Cross (M.C.) in 1918. He also served in World War II before retiring from the Royal Artillery in 1949 having attained the rank of Brigadier. He was awarded the Companion, Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) in 1943, and Bar in 1945.

An excellent polo player with a 6-goal handicap, Fowler was a member of the Aldershot team that won the County Cup in 1935 and the following year won a silver medal with the Great Britain team at the 1936 Olympics, scoring nine of Great Britain’s 13 goals in the win over Mexico. Fowler and David Dawnay were originally left out of the squad but they gained selection following the withdrawal of Eric Tyrrell-Martin and Hugh Hesketh Hughes. Fowler relocated from England to the family home in County Meath, Ireland, in 1957 and he became the Master of the Meath foxhounds and was a member of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee.

Known as ‘The Brig’, Fowler married Mary Nickalls in 1944, who was the daughter of another great English polo champion Colonel Cecil Nickalls, and she was also the niece of the 1908 Olympic polo gold medallist Patteson Nickalls. To maintain the family horsemanship tradition, Bryan and Mary’s two children, John and Jessica (later Jessie Harrington) were three-day eventers and competed together on the Irish team at the 1967 European Eventing Championships at Punchestown and Jessie took part in the 1980 substitute Olympics at Fontainebleau. John went on to became a leading amateur National Hunt jockey and rode two winners at the Cheltenham Festival. Both John and Jessie went on to become National Hunt trainers and whilst John trained Maid of Money to win the 1989 Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, it was Jessie who was by the far the more successful of the two siblings. She saddled six Cheltenham winners including the Arkle Trophy and Queen Mother Champion Chase, twice, thanks to her best horse, Moscow Flyer. Sadly, John was killed in a freak accident at his Irish home when he was crushed by a falling tree in 2008.