Piper E. J. Dawson

James Dawson was a regular soldier who enlisted into The Black Watch before the outbreak of the First World War.  He held the appointment of “Piper.”

As a Private he fought with the 1st Battalion Royal Highlanders when it  landed in France on 13 August 1914. There he most probably served at the Battle of the Aisne that September and was reported wounded on 18 November 1914. These wounds were most likely received at the First Battle of Ypres and confirm, beyond any doubt, his entitlement to the clasp for 1914 Star.

He returned to the front at some point and was again reported wounded on 17 October 1915, perhaps at the Battle of Loos.

Piper James Dawson also served with the 1/7th Royal Highlanders and may have joined that battalion on his recovery from the wounds received in 1915. On 11 December 1918, he was awarded the Military Medal “for Bravery in the Field.”  He was then promoted to the rank of Corporal.




About The Author

Ian is an acclaimed writer, producer, and director of documentary films and multimedia events. He is also a competitive bagpiper and has produced large scale multimedia concerts and pipe band recordings. It is his combined passion for film and piping that endow him with a unique and personal perspective for the Pipes of War project.

Comments

5 Responses to “Piper E. J. Dawson”

  1. kutasy says:

    Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative. I’m gonna watch out for brussels. I’ll appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!

  2. I really enjoyed reading this. I think I will that a look through your other posts – Laura

  3. James Dawson says:

    I am very pleased to have seen this, the James Dawson you write about is in fact my Grandfather. I have letters from the war office confirming how many times he was wounded in action, only to return to the front after recovery. He was awarded the Military Medal as well as the Croix De Guerre from the French ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_de_guerre_1914%E2%80%931918 )….I am sure my mother still has those medals at home in Scotland, I remember viewing them with pride as a boy. I also have his army book, where he took notes of what was going on, how he felt, and pipe tunes he wrote on moments of inspiration.

    I myself am also a piper, and recently played at the last post ceremony in Ypres, at the Menin gate. here is a video of that ceremony, where I was loaned a set of pipes and kilt to play the ceremony…I felt very honoured: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLu0q8F6QKg

    My Grandfather is also mentioned on this website: http://www.historikorders.com/piper42nd.html. if any one would like to know more about him drop me an email and I will be happy to help.

  4. Murray Whyte says:

    Hi Ian,

    I am helping Piper James Dawson’s grandson with some research and came across your blog.

    The photo of piper E J Dawson you have featured is by Ian Eadie. Ian served as a divisional war artist (51st Highland Division) during WW2. This image depictes a Piper’s dress in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, 1939-43. The webbing is 37 Pattern (1937)

    The information you have with the images is about piper James Dawson who served during WW1.

Leave a Reply