Vesey John Dawson
Encyclopedia
Major-General Vesey John Dawson (4 April 1853 - 17 January 1930), CVO
, was a British Army
general officer.
He was the eldest son of the Hon. Thomas Vesey Dawson, an officer of the Coldstream Guards who was killed at the Battle of Inkerman
; his father was the son of Richard Thomas Dawson, 2nd Baron Cremorne, and his mother the daughter of John FitzPatrick, 1st Baron Castletown
. His younger brother, Douglas Dawson
, was also an Army officer.
He attended Eton College
, where his housemaster was Oscar Browning
, and then joined the Coldstream Guards
in 1871. He served with the Nile Expedition
of 1884-85, seeing action at the Battle of Abu Klea
. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1897, and appointed to command the newly-raised Irish Guards
in 1900. From 1906 to 1908 he commanded the 15th Infantry Brigade at Belfast, and from 1908 to 1912 commanded the 2nd London Division of the Territorial Force
, in which post he was succeeded by Charles Monro
. He retired from the Army in 1914.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
general officer.
He was the eldest son of the Hon. Thomas Vesey Dawson, an officer of the Coldstream Guards who was killed at the Battle of Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
; his father was the son of Richard Thomas Dawson, 2nd Baron Cremorne, and his mother the daughter of John FitzPatrick, 1st Baron Castletown
John FitzPatrick, 1st Baron Castletown
John Wilson FitzPatrick, 1st Baron Castletown PC , known as John Wilson until 1842, was an Irish Liberal politician....
. His younger brother, Douglas Dawson
Douglas Dawson
Brigadier-General Sir Douglas Frederick Rawdon Dawson , GCVO, KCB, CMG, was a British Army general officer.He was the second son of the Hon. Thomas Vesey Dawson, an officer of the Coldstream Guards who was killed at the Battle of Inkerman. Hispaternal grandfather was Richard Thomas Dawson, 2nd...
, was also an Army officer.
He attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, where his housemaster was Oscar Browning
Oscar Browning
Oscar Browning was an English writer, historian, and educational reformer. His greatest achievement was the cofounding, along with Henry Sidgwick, of the Cambridge University Day Training College in 1891...
, and then joined the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
in 1871. He served with the Nile Expedition
Nile Expedition
The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition , was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan after Britain decided to abandon the country in the face of a...
of 1884-85, seeing action at the Battle of Abu Klea
Battle of Abu Klea
The Battle of Abu Klea took place between the dates of 16 and 18 January 1885, at Abu Klea, Sudan, between the British Desert Column and Mahdist forces encamped near Abu Klea...
. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1897, and appointed to command the newly-raised Irish Guards
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
in 1900. From 1906 to 1908 he commanded the 15th Infantry Brigade at Belfast, and from 1908 to 1912 commanded the 2nd London Division of the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
, in which post he was succeeded by Charles Monro
Sir Charles Monro, 1st Baronet
General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet of Bearcrofts, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, was a British Army General during World War I and Governor of Gibraltar from 1923 to 1929.-Military career:...
. He retired from the Army in 1914.