The Roll of Honour, Volume 1 : A biographical record of all members of His…
1915. He was buried in the military cemetery there; _unm._
381 words | Chapter 37
[Illustration: =Sidney Cavey.=]
=CAWLEY, HAROLD THOMAS=, M.P., Capt., 6th Battn. Manchester
Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of Sir Frederick Cawley, 1st Bart., M.P.;
_b._ Crumpsall, co. Lancaster, 12 June, 1878: educ. Rugby and
New College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1900 with honours in the
History School, and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1902,
and practised on the Northern Circuit in the Palatine Chancery Court.
He was returned as Liberal Member for Heywood at the General Elections
in Jan. 1910, and again in Dec. the same year, and was Parliamentary
Private Secretary to Mr. Runciman, at the Board of Education, March,
1910, to Nov. 1911, and to Mr. McKenna at the Home Office from Nov.
1911 to Aug. 1914. He joined the Mounted Infantry Company of the old
2nd Manchester Volunteers (now the 6th Manchester Regt.) in 1904, and
became Capt. 1 June, 1913. On the declaration of war he volunteered
for foreign service, and went to Egypt in Sept. 1914, as A.D.C.
to Major-Gen. Douglas, commanding the East Lancashire Territorial
Division. In Aug. he exchanged the comparative safety of Divisional
Headquarters for the fighting line, and was killed in action at the
Dardanelles, 24 Sept. 1915; _unm._ He was buried in the Lancashire
Cemetery at Gallipoli. His Colonel wrote: “When we went to the front
line it was greatly due to his coolness and bravery that the men
were kept cool and every one in his place when we had a very large
mine blown up just against our trench;” and the Right Hon. C. F. G.
Masterman: “Courage, mental and physical, was the outstanding element
in Harold Cawley’s character. In the House of Commons he commenced by
advocating an unpopular cause in his constituency and opposed those who
desired to effect economies through retrenchment in the Navy. He made
short speeches, putting his points with lucidity and ability.” In a
letter to a friend, Capt. Cawley wrote: “I told the General I wanted to
join the Battn., and he has sent the application forward; I was ashamed
of being behind here whilst all those fellows were being killed.” Capt.
Cawley was a good sportsman, and he was known as a hard rider. He won
the North Hereford point-to-point in 1913 and the Bar point-to-point in
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