DAWSON, Harry Douglas
| Service Numbers: | 2317, W74131 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
| Born: | Balaklava, South Australia , 24 June 1893 |
| Home Town: | Dumbleyung, Dumbleyung Shire, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Bunbury, Western Australia, 28 October 1969, aged 76 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Katanning Cemetery, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Wagin Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2317, 43rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2317, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Melbourne embarkation_ship_number: A16 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2317, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Melbourne, Fremantle | |
| 12 Jul 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
| 10 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2317, 11th Infantry Battalion, GSW Hand - severe | |
| 25 Jan 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2317, 11th Infantry Battalion, ex England for RTA per HT Ceramic | |
| 9 May 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 2317, 11th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 25 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), W74131, 10th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1945: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), W74131, 10th (WA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Harry Douglas Dawson (Service No:2317) enlisted in the AIF with his brother Robert (Private; Service No:2316) and both siblings embarked with 43rd Infantry Battalion from Fremantle for Devonport on 30 October 1916 on board HMAT Port Melbourne A16. Private Dawson was in France with 11th Infantry Battalion when he was WiA (GSH hand) on 10 August 1918 and embarked from England for the RTA on 25 January 1919 on board HT Ceramic. Private Dawson was attached to 11th Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 9 May 1919. In WWII, Private Dawson (Service No:W74131) served with the ACMF - 14 (WA) Battalion VDC - from 25 April 1942 to 15 October 1945.
The eighth of eleven children, Harry was born in 1893 in Balaklava, South Australia to Arthur Dawson (b1858 at Littlehampton, South Australia) and Deborah Margaret Peck (b1858 in Adelaide, South Australia). Arthur (a Blacksmith) and Deborah married in 1880 in Balaklva, South Australia - Arthur had worked as a Station Hand on sheep and cattle stations in the Balaklava district before completing a Blacksmith Apprenticeship. The couple raised their first seven children in Balaklava before moving to Two Wells, where in 1885 Arthur won medals for his wagons and ploughs at the Port Wakefiled Show. In 1893 the family moved to Cleve, where Arthur built the first General Store, and in 1901 Arthur and Deborah, with their two eldest sons made the three month journey by horse and cart to Western Australia where Arthur had purchased land at Bullock Springs. In 1903 Arthur returned to South Australia and brought his remaining children to Bullock Spring, WA - by boat to Albany, railway to Katanning and horse and cart to Bullock Spring. Arthur was a Farmer in Bullock Spring and later Kojonup.
Harry was a Farmer at Damper Flat, Dumbleyung, WA when he enlisted in the AIF. In 1922 in Wagin, WA he married Florence (Florrie) Annie Bolt (b1901 at Devon Downs, South Australia). Harry and Florrie settled at Dumbleyung where they raised their family and Harry was a Farmer before retiring to Bunbury in the late 1950s. Harry died in 1969 and Florrie in 1981.
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