Sir John Cowans | |
|---|---|
 Cowans, c. 1915 | |
| Nickname(s) | Jack |
| Born | 11 March 1862 St Cuthbert Without, Carlisle, England |
| Died | 16 April 1921 (aged 59) Menton, France |
| Buried | St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green, London, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1881–1919 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) |
| Commands | Presidency Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
General Sir John Steven Cowans, GCB, GCMG, MVO (11 March 1862 – 16 April 1921) was a senior British Army officer who served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1912 to 1919, covering the period of the First World War.
Educated at Burney's Academy at Gosport and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Cowans was commissioned into the Rifle Brigade in 1881. He graduated from the Staff College, Camberley, in 1892 and became a Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters in 1898. In this role he organised the deployment of troops to the Second Boer War. He became Assistant Quartermaster-General of 2nd Division at Aldershot Command in 1903, and went on to become Director of Staff Duties and Training at Army Headquarters in India in 1907. He commanded the Presidency Brigade in Calcutta from 1908 to 1910, when he returned to the United Kingdom as Director-General of the Territorial Force.
Cowans became Quartermaster-General to the Forces in 1912, and in this capacity he was responsible for finding accommodation and supplies for more than a million newly enlisted servicemen at the start of the First World War. He was the only member of the Army Council to retain his position throughout the entire war.