Henry Charles Dawson

 The Sad Story of Corporal Henry Charles Dawson

Corporal Henry Charles Dawson, who served with the Royal Army Service Corps, died on 24^th March 1919, aged 37 years. He was laid to rest at Danygraig Cemetery, another life cut short in the aftermath of the First World War.

Limited Records

Very little is known about Henry’s life. No full-service papers survive, and there are no clear census entries to trace his early years. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records offer only a brief outline: he was the son of the late Mr. H. Dawson, of 36 Greenwich Road, Greenwich, London, and the husband of Mrs. M. E. Dawson, of 51 Lewisham Road, Lewisham, London.

Newspaper Confusion

South Wales Daily Post

The only other possible reference to him appears in the South Wales Daily Post, which carried an article about a man named Charles Dawson. The similarity in names raises the question: was this “Charles” in fact Henry? Or was it a separate individual whose story became blurred in reporting?

Burial at Danygraig

Henry Charles Dawson
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Despite the gaps in the record, what is certain is that Corporal Henry Charles Dawson was buried with honour at Danygraig Cemetery. His grave stands among those of Swansea men, marking the contribution of a soldier from outside the city whose path brought him here in death.

Legacy

Though his story remains fragmented, Dawson represents the many servicemen whose records were lost, whose families lived far from Swansea, and whose memory survives only through a name on a headstone. His burial at Danygraig ensures that he remains part of Swansea’s wider story of service and sacrifice in the First World War.