| Place | Europe: Western Front |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL27937.003 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Medal |
| Physical description | Silver |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | United Kingdom |
| Date made | c 1920 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
British War Medal 1914-20 : Sergeant C St V Dawson, 5 Battalion, AIF
Description
British War Medal 1914-20. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.
History / Summary
A miner in civilian life, Clive St Vincent Dawson enlisted for service in the First World War on 24 August 1914 at the age of 31, at Albert Park, Victoria. He was assigned service number 409 and placed in C Company, 5th Battalion, AIF. He appears to have landed at Gallipoli in the first few days of the campaign. He was promoted to lance corporal at Gallipoli on 2 May 1915 before being hit 'in the upper extremities' the next day. Evacuated for medical treatment, he rejoined his battalion at the end of the month.
The 5th Battalion fought at the Battle of Lone Pine between 6 and 9 August; Dawson was promoted to sergeant on 12 August. He was awarded a retrospective Military Medal for his work in August 1915 at Lone Pine on Gallipoli.
Evacuated from the peninsula on 12 October due to dental problems, Dawson spent some time in No 2 Stationary Hospital on the island of Mudros before rejoining his unit in Egypt in early 1916. After the battalion transferred to the Western Front Dawson fought at Pozieres, where he received a slight wound but remained on duty, and then in Belgium and later on the Somme. After suffering from the symptoms of mumps, in May 1917, he was transferred to England to join the 2nd Training Battalion at Durrington and in October attended the 37th Army Course in Physical and Bayonet Instruction course where he qualified as an instructor.
In March 1918 Dawson rejoined his battalion in France but on 11 September suffered gas inhalation when the battalion was approaching St Martin’s Wood near Proyart. He returned to Australia in December 1918 and was discharged on 28 March 1919. After the war Clive Dawson suffered from shortness of breath and palpitations and received a pension for the effects of gas; he was diagnosed as suffering laryngitis, pulmonary fibrosis and conjunctivitis. His complaints worsened throughout the 1930s eventually causing pleurisy in late 1941. He died on 19 August 1942.