Aubrey Cecil Dawson

Aubrey Cecil Dawson

Personal Information
Date of Birth	20 Nov 1892
Place of Birth	Newtown, Busselton, Western Australia
Death	12 Oct 1968
Place of Death	Hollywood Repatriation Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	22 years, 8 months
Description	6'(1.83m) tall ; 169lbs 76.657 kg ; medium complexion ; blue eyes ; light brown hair
Occupation	Labourer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Prospect road, Armadale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Mother , Mrs. Elizabeth Dawson
Military Information
Reg Number	3308
Date of Enlistment	27 Jul 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	11th Battalion, 11th Reinforcement, allotted to B Company / 3rd Brigade, 1st Division
Date of Embarkation	2 Nov 1915 ‒ 26 Nov 1915
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A38 Ulysses Fremantle to Egypt
Date of Return	20 Aug 1918 ‒ 28 Sep 1918
Ship Returned On	SS Carpentaria
Fate	Wounded in Action 22/25 Jul 1916 at Poziéres Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Armadale panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

At Blackboy Hill camp Aubrey was a member of the 20th Depot Company before being allocated to the 11th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion. He travelled with them to Egypt aboard HMAT A38 Ulysses, where on 2 Mar 1916 he joined 'B' Company of the 11th Battalion at Habieta and he then travelled with them to France from Alexandria on 29 Mar 1916. arriving in Marseilles on 3 Apr 1916 aboard the HMT Corsican.

On 19 Jul 1916 his unit relieved the Durham Light Infantry in the line facing Pozières and they spent the next 48 hours improving the trenches that were only a couple of feet deep. During the night of 22/23 Jul 1916, along with the 9th Battalion and 1st Australian Infantry Brigade, they attacked Pozières. Aubrey was with his company on the left side of the second wave which could not find the trenches that were the object of their advance, and so they proceeded into the ruins of the township. Over the next day they winkled out Germans who were in buildings or hiding in underground bunkers. They were then tasked with a further advance to the railway line.

It is likely that Aubrey was wounded fairly early in this advance as he was seen by the 1st Field Ambulance on 22 Jul 1916, and then by the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station on the next day. He had sustained a gunshot wound to his left upper arm. On 24 Jul 1916 he was seen by the St John's Ambulance in Étaples and on the 3rd Aug 1916 he embarked on HMHS Newhaven at Boulogne for transfer to the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester.

He remained there until he entered the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital on 7 Mar 1917 before being discharged on 10 Apr 1917 to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth. On 8 May 1917, he was detached to the ANZAC Corps Military Police where he remained until 29 Apr 1918 when he returned to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth to prepare for his early return to Australia in August 1918.

He was included on the 194th Casualty List published in The West Australian on 18 Aug 1916.

Post War

DAWSON - MIDDLETON. On January 30 1920 at the Anglican Church, Victoria Park, by the Rev. T Whitebess, Aubrey Cecil Dawson of Perth, youngest son of Mrs Dawson and the late B Dawson J.P., Busselton, to Dulcie Vera, youngest daughter of Mrs C. Middleton, Perth, and the late W.E. Middleton, chemist, Broken Hill, New South Wales. Dulcie died 22 Jan 1938 in Victoria Park.

Their unnamed daughter was still born on 30 Jan 1921. On 17 Aug 1923 a son Colin Middleton (aka Peter) was born in Dumbleyung. A premature daughter (Audrey) was born at Victoria Park on 18 Feb 1929, and died 17 Oct 1929. At the time of Dulcie's death two sons, Peter and Neville are mentioned in the death notice.

Electoral Roll entries - 1916 - 1917 give his home address as Prospect road, Armadale. In 1925 he was a machinery traveller (salesman) living in Dumbleyung; 1934-37 he is an insurance agent, living at Wallace street in Belmont. In 1938 their address was 57 Westminster street, Victoria Park. In 1943 Aubrey had moved to 2 Miller avenue Belmont with Ethel May (second wife?), and by 1954 he had moved to Forrestfield where he termed himself a grazier.

Along with Ethel he had moved to 9 Vista avenue, Rockingham by 1958 and then 4 Edna street Wembley Downs by 1968.

Notes

" Enlisted July, 1915; sailed in November the same year, and served in the 11th Battalion. He was wounded in July, 1916, and invalided home."

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Memorial