Pte
Samuel James Dawson
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 05/11/1894 |
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Place of birth: Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand |
General information
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Last known residence: Mauriceville, Welllington, New Zealand |
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Profession: Farmer |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 20309 |
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Enlistment date: 01/05/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Units: — Wellington Regiment, 2nd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Calgary Grange, 's Graventafel, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Missing in action |
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Age: 22 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot, New Zealand Apse Panel: 7A |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Samuel James Dawson was born in Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand on 5 November 1894. He had one sister and was working as a farmer in Mauriceville, Wellington when he joined the army on 1 May 1916. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the Wellington Regiment, part of the 1st Brigade of the New Zealand Division.
On 4 October 1917, the New Zealanders were deployed at the Battle of Broodseinde, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 1st Brigade on the left of the division advanced from Würst Farm with the 1st Wellingtons and 1st Aucklands. Despite stiff German opposition at Boetleer, they managed to reach the first goal line at Gravenstafel and dig in.
From there, the 2nd Aucklands and Wellingtons continued the attack towards Waterloo, where a large number of Germans were captured. During the fighting at Calgary Grange, the 2nd Battalion of the Wellington Regiment received heavy fire from Kronprinz Farm. During the night of 4 October it rained sporadically and was cold, but no counterattacks on the new positions followed.
After the fighting on 4 October 1917, Samuel James Dawson, 23, was reported missing. Samuel has no known grave to this day and is commemorated on the New Zealand Apse, panel 7A, at Tyne Cot Memorial.
On 4 October 1917, the New Zealanders were deployed at the Battle of Broodseinde, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 1st Brigade on the left of the division advanced from Würst Farm with the 1st Wellingtons and 1st Aucklands. Despite stiff German opposition at Boetleer, they managed to reach the first goal line at Gravenstafel and dig in.
From there, the 2nd Aucklands and Wellingtons continued the attack towards Waterloo, where a large number of Germans were captured. During the fighting at Calgary Grange, the 2nd Battalion of the Wellington Regiment received heavy fire from Kronprinz Farm. During the night of 4 October it rained sporadically and was cold, but no counterattacks on the new positions followed.
After the fighting on 4 October 1917, Samuel James Dawson, 23, was reported missing. Samuel has no known grave to this day and is commemorated on the New Zealand Apse, panel 7A, at Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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Cunningham W.H., Treadwell C.A.L., Hanna J.S., The Wellington Regiment N.Z.E.F. 1914-1919 (Uckfield,The Naval&Military Press, Ridgewood Industrial Park,NN.), 214-223. Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: the Day-by-Day Account. (Londen: Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018), 112-114. Sources used |
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New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives New Zealand, Wellington (ANZ), R20996102). https://www.archives.govt.nz/ Sources used |
More information 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/847437 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7173484 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5a962fff-e73b-4e9f-9adc-d09f418c796d |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C3801 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=63667 |