Military Medal Casualty Group to Dawson, Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade
A Military Medal, in silver, full size, rim impressed 201149 PTE. A. W. DAWSON. CAN. M.G.C., ribbon with dual prongs on reverse, light wear, dark toned, British War Medal, in silver, full size, rim impressed 201149 PTE. A. W. DAWSON. C.M.G. BDE., minor wear, Victory Medal, in bronze gilt, full size, rim impressed 201149 PTE. A. W. DAWSON. C.M.G. BDE., dark patina, extremely fine. light wear and areas of gilt loss on Victory.
Memorial Cross, in silver, reverse engraved 201149 Pte. A. W. DAWSON M.M, and marked STERLING on the 6 o’clock arm, measures 31.5 mm (w) x 35.0 mm (h), light wear, dark patina, in extremely fine condition.
Memorial Plaque, in bronze, named to ALFRED WILLIAM DAWSON, full size, light wear, good very fine. Accompanied by original cardboard sleeve.
Alfred William Dawson was born on January 21, 1897. He was working as a Printer in Toronto, when he enlisted on October 28, 1915 with the 95th Battalion. He arrived in England via the S.S Olympic in June 1916. In May, 1917, he suffered a superficial gunshot wound to the left arm. He was transferred to the Machine Gun Depot at the end of 1917, and embarked for France in 1918.
He was reported killed in action. The circumstances of his death, which occurred on September 27, 1918, east of Sains-les-Marquion, states: “While his Battery was firing a barrage on the morning of September 27th 1918, he was instantly killed, when his gun received a direct hit from an enemy shell.”
Dawson was awarded the Military Medal in 1918 for bravery in the field. London Gazette Supplement 31227, March 11th 1919.
The Toronto Star, December 7th, 1918 reads: “Lance-Corporal Alfred W. Dawson, who was reported killed in action, was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Dawson, of 796 Ossington Avenue. He enlisted in the fall of 1915 in the 95th Battalion when only 17 years of age. He served as a stretcher bearer until wounded by shrapnel in the arm in April 1917. He spent eleven months in hospital in England and later trained with the Machine-Gun Depot at Seaford, Sussex, finally leaving for France in March 1918 with the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade. Lance-Corp. Dawson was employed at the Methodist Book Room and was a member of the Euclid Avenue Methodist Church and Sunday School. He was 20 years of age and besides his parents he leaves to mourn his loss one brother, Arthur, of Delaware avenue, and a sister, Mrs. M Armstrong.”
On 27 September 1918, during the opening assault of the Battle of the Canal du Nord, the Canadian Machine Gun Corps provided decisive support to the Canadian Corps advance. Massed Vickers guns laid down sweeping barrages over German lines while the Motor Machine Gun Brigades, including Dawson’s 1st Brigade, followed the infantry closely, delivering mobile firepower, beating back counter-attacks, and helping secure the canal crossings. Their work was vital to the Canadian breakthrough that day, though it came at heavy cost in casualties.
