Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"TOM DAWSON" KILLED.

Private T. Besley, whose death while fighting at the front was announced recently, was better known as "Tom Dawson, one of the most popular and versatile of the comedians on the Australian vaudeville stage. He was always an especial favorite in Adelaide. He was born at Newport, Wales, 42 years ago, and he was the eldest son of the late Mr. Francis Besley and Mrs. Besley, of Alberton. His surviving relatives are Messrs. A. Besley (Eastwood), Charles Besley (Knoxville), Philip Besley and Frank Besley (Parkside), Mrs. Carvosso, Parkside, and Mrs. D. Dawson, of Wellington, New Zealand.

"Tom Dawson" began business life on the Port Adelaide staff of "The Advertiser" in 1888; then he became a photographer. In his leisure time he learnt to dance. He first appeared on the stage with a Pierrot show at Manly, Sydney, and afterwards he toured Western Australia as a "corner man." He started to sing comic songs about four years later, and was a great success. He appeared in practically all the cities of the Commonwealth with the Flying Jordans, and then went to New Zealand. He played the ''dame" in "The Red Hiding Hood" pantomime. When that season was over he was engaged on the Harry Rickards circuit, and remained in that employ for over ten years. He was always successful with his songs, absurd as many of them were. "I'd rather have a hard-boiled egg" was one of the typical numbers, and there were many others of the same type. He sang and danced 200 of them while he was with the Rickards management, and he wrote some of them himself.

He left Australia for England in July, 1913, but returned to Australia after gaining experience abroad, and he enlisted in New South Wales last year. In an appreciative article, written of him just before he left in 1913, a Sydney paper wrote of "Tom Dawson":-

"He is Australia's very own comedian, who has learnt all he knows in Australia, and forced himself to the front by sheer merit, without any help from outside reputation."

Lieutenant Hamilton, writing of Private Besley's death, says:- "I knew him well in Egypt. He was the life and soul of entertainments got up for the Red Cross funds, and to cheer up the boys. When we were in the desert he was the same bright old spirit, and did a lot to cheer everyone. He fell in an attack we made a few days ago. Just before our time for jumping the parapet arrived I saw him. The Bosches were sending in some big ones, and things were only middling. "Well, Tom," I said, "How is it now?" "Well," said Tom. with his quaint old smile, "I'd rather have a hard-boiled egg" - you will remember his old song. I passed Tom's remark along the line, and it relieved the tension quite a lot. We hopped over, and I found Tom coming along on my right as cool and determined as a man could be. The machine gun fire was as hot as most enthusiasts would care about, and Tom and the boy on my left went down at the same instant. Our advance was checked there, so I got Tom under as good cover as was available. He was short in the lower part of the body, and I felt from the first that he was done. I think he knew it himself, but all the same he kept brave and patient, though he suffered a good deal, I'm afraid. We lay out in No Man's Land all night and in the morning I had to leave him. It was impossible for me to carry him alone, and there was no one there to help me. He conld not bear to be shifted, and there was a small river to cross. "Good-bye, sir! God bless you!" said old Tom as we shook hands. I crawled back under machine gun fire and snipers' bullets, and managed to reach our lines again. As soon as it was possible stretcher-bearers brought him in. He was still living, but died almost immediately. In his life as a soldier, Tom Dawson did fine service to the Australian army by devoting his gifts to the pleasure and encouragement of his comrades. He died like a hero - an honor to the theatrical profession and to the land of his birth." - from the Adelaide Advertiser 10 Oct 1916 (nla.gov.au)