Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout

Pte 5079 Richard Gordon Dawes
21st Australian Infantry Battalion,
6th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division
 
Over a hundred years ago on the fields of the Somme, in the trenches and the mud, gathered an army of millions of young men who came from the other side of the world who, through barbed wire and shell holes fought beyond bravery alongside their brothers in arms, with their friends who, their knees deep in the clay, served and fought side by side with pride for peace and freedom and in the front line, under shells and the bullets, gave their youth and their courage for our tomorrow, they charged under the light of dawn and fell in the prime of their life and today rest in peace on the sacred grounds of the Somme, under the sun in which their names will live forever and will always be remembered and honored with our greatest care and all our love so that they are never forgotten, to bring them back to life among the poppies which, like the memory,the stories of these heroes, never fades.

Today, it is with the deepest respect and with eternal gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today and who, for Australia and for France,for us, gave his life.I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 5079 Richard Gordon Dawes who fought in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd Australian Division, and who died of his wounds 105 years ago, on November 8, 1916 at the age of 17 on the Somme front.

Richard Gordon Dawes was born on December 30, 1898 in Korumburra, Victoria, Australia, and was the son of Richard and Mary Ann Dawes, of Korrumburra. Richard was educated at Korumburra State School and before the outbreak of the war, worked as a farmer.

Richard enlisted on February 4, 1916 in Kurumburra in the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, 16th Reinforcement and lied about his age by stating that he was 18 years old but was 17 years old. Shortly after he was transferred to the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion and after a two month training period at Broadmeadows Camp, north of Melbourne, Victoria,he embarked with his unit from Melbourne, on board HMAT A23 Suffolk on April 1, 1916 and sailed for Egypt then the following month, on May 12, he embarked from Alexandria, on board HMT Huntsgreen for England and was disembarked in Plymouth then joined the 6th Training Battalion and four months later, on September 5, proceeded overseas for France.
On September 6, 1916, Richard arrived in France and was disembarked at Etaples where he joined his unit on September 19 and with the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion, joined the Toronto Camp, near Ypres, Belgium, on September 21 where they remained until October 19 to follow a period of training then on October 28, were sent to the Somme, to Buire-Sur-Ancre and on November 3, joined Mametz Wood then the next day, entered the trenches of Flers where unfortunately, three days later, on November 7, 1916 Richard met his fate and while in the "Wattle Trench" he was shot in his abdomen and was immediately evacuated to the 15th Australian Field Ambulance where he died a few hours later.He was 17 years old.

Today, Richard Gordon Dawes rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "Please place a flower for his loved ones in Australia. "On his grave it is also written that Richard died at the age of 18 but his father wrote to the Australian military authorities claiming that when his son was killed he was 17 years and 10 months old.

Richard Gordon Dawes had two brothers who served in the first world war. The first of them was Corporal number 344 George Dawes who fought in the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion and was sadly killed in action at Gallipoli on August 7, 1915 at the age of 29 and now rests in peace in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery and his grave bears the following inscription: "In life we loved him dearly, in death we do the same."

Richard's second brother was Private number 4399 Charles Dawes who fought in the 21st Australian Infantry Battalion.Unfortunately, he was killed in action on November 7, 1916 at the age of 30 in Flers, Somme, a day before his brother Richard was killed in action and last year I had the honor to pay my respects to him at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-l'Abbe, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "His loved ones in Australia mourn the loss of a good son."

Richard, George, Charles, you who were so young but already so brave, it is together, under the loving gaze of your parents that you answered the call to duty and after a last goodbye, in a last embrace that you left the love of your home and walked side by side with determination and pride towards the battlefields of the great war without knowing that you would never see each other again but each one fought and served with exceptional bravery on the red sands of Gallipoli which took the life of George who was the first to fall under the Turkish bullets then came the time for Richard and Charles to join the trenches of the western front and the Somme which was a hell on earth, a dreadful slaughterhouse which mowed down the lives of almost two million men in mud and blood who charged courageously under German machine gun fire and fell in successive waves through barbed wire and shell holes which were filled with blood and tears that friends and enemies shed in the darkest hours of history but in this nightmare, the Australian soldiers, alongside their French and British brothers in arms held out, for each meter of ground, for each trenches, they resisted and fought with perseverance at the cost of thousands of young lives and knew the battles which were among the most difficult and the deadliest of the Somme as were Pozieres where fell more than 20,000 men, Mouquet Farm where fell 11,000 were killed in a few weeks but despite these catastrophic losses they never retreated and continued to move forward to liberate our country, they fought with conviction for each of our villages of the Somme, in Flers, Amiens, Gueudecourt, Villers-Bretonneux, Bazentin, and everywhere they went they were deeply loved by the French people, by the children who saw in them heroes who always had a smile for them and who, deeply touched by their humanity, their courage, wrote in chalk on the blackboards and the entrances of the schools "Do not forget Australia", everywhere they were greeted with love and alongside the French soldiers they showed unfailing bravery and between them was born the most incredible and strongest of friendships that we will always honor and which is for us, in our hearts, a pride.They were respected for their bravery and determination and for us, for our country which they came to love, they fought as if they had been born here and valiantly resisted the onslaught of the enemy which never broke through the Australian lines and alongside our Poilus, they all declared "They shall not pass" and together went over the top without regard for their own lives because they fought for the men who were by their side, for Australia, for peace and freedom and it is in these courageous assaults that Charles fell and gave his today then the next day it was Richard's turn to cross no man's land and charged baionette forward but alongside his brothers in arms, in Flers, he fell among the poppies, he was the last boy of a family that was broken up, hit by the shockwaves of war and who, alongside millions of families around the world, paid the greatest sacrifices and lost everything what they had in the fields of France and the sand of Gallipoli where stand the graves of their sons over whom I would always watch with love and devotion so that their sacrifices are never forgotten and so that the names of these young heroes, of my boys of the Somme live forever.Thank you so much Richard, George, Charles, for all you have done for us who will be forever grateful to you. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

Richard Gordon Dawes, known as Gordon, was born on 30th December 1899 at Korumburra, South Gippsland, Victoria.  He was the 4th son and 3rd youngest of 9 children born to his parents Richard and Mary Dawes.  His brothers were Charles, George and William…his sisters were Florence, Isabella, Eva, Ida and Olive.  The family came to live in Australia in 1886 when Charles was just a toddler and George was just 6 weeks old.  They settled at Korumburra in Gippsland, Victoria, where Gordon attended the Korumburra Primary School.  The family had a small farm for their own needs so Gordon helped out on the farm. 

On 4th February 1916 Gordon enlisted for WW1 at Korumburra aged 17 but seeing as he was under age he gave his age as 18.  Just 5 days earlier on the 31st January 1916 his oldest brother Charles had also enlisted for WW1 at Leongatha VIC aged 30 but he gave his age as 29.  The 2nd eldest brother George had already enlisted on 25th August 1914 at Surrey Hills VIC and he gave his age as 28…although that may not have been correct.  The only brother not to enlist was William. 

Their stories are intertwined so this biography is the story of all 3 brothers who went to serve their King and country in war and all 3 would make the supreme sacrifice.  This shines a light on the high cost of war that some families paid during WW1.  A photograph was taken in 1909 of the whole family together…most likely it was the last one…no one could have known then that in just a few short years they would suffer heartbreaking loss. 

George was with the 8th Infantry Battalion and sailed with the 1st Convoy from Albany on 1st November 1914.  After completing his training in Egypt he took part in the landings at Gallipoli on 24th April 1915. During the battle for Lone Pine he was killed in action on 7th August 1915 aged 28.  He was buried at Shrapnel Valley Cemetery at Gallipoli.  This was the first loss for the family and perhaps this was a factor in why Charles and Gordon both enlisted in early 1916.  In the book “The Lost Boys” written by Paul Byrnes, he comments that when Gordon told his parents that he’d enlisted his mother was devastated and threatened to inform the authorities that he was under age.  However, Charles having had some military experience, stepped in and said he would look after him and that it was better that Gordon go to war with his brother rather than him go by himself a year later when was legally old enough to enlist. 

Gordon is described as being 5ft 8ins tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair…the same appearance as his brother Charles.  His service number was 5079, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 16th Depot Training Battalion at Epsom Racecourse Camp, Bendigo.  In early March 1916 he proceeded to Broadmeadows Camp where he was assigned to the 6th Infantry Battalion 16th Reinforcements in late March.  He embarked from Melbourne on 1st April 1916 on HMAT Suffolk bound for Egypt.  He disembarked at Suez on 12th May and proceeded to the 2nd Training Battalion and then the 5th Training Battalion, both at Suez.  Meanwhile…Charles with the 21st Infantry Battalion had arrived in England at about the same time.  He kept his word to his parents to look after Gordon…he helped to have Gordon transferred to the 21st Battalion so they could serve together. 

Gordon embarked from Alexandria on HMT Huntsgreen on 31st May and disembarked at Plymouth, England, on 12th June.  He proceeded to the 2nd Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp and 4 days later transferred to the 21st Infantry Battalion.  He then proceeded to the 6th Training Battalion at Rollestone Camp where he met up with Charles.  After completing their training the brothers embarked for France on 5th September 1916.  Upon disembarking they proceeded to the Australian General Base at Etaples before they joined their unit at St Lawrence Camp near Ypres in Belgium on 19th September 1916.  In late September the Battalion moved to Toronto Camp between Ypres and Poperinghe. 

On the 14th October 1916 the Battalion moved into the frontline at Hill 60 near Ypres.  They entrained 4 days later for the Somme where they moved into the frontline at Flers on 4th November 1916.  On the 6th November Charles suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was evacuated to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station at Heilly where he succumbed to his wounds the next day.  He was 31.  Gordon most likely would not have known about Charles’ death on the 7th November when that same day he himself was seriously wounded with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and thigh.  He was evacuated to the 15th Field Ambulance at Becordel-Becourt where he succumbed to his wounds the next day.  He was just 17.

Paul Byrnes comments in his book “The Lost Boys” that it is no exaggeration to say that in part, mud killed both Charles and Gordon.  Mud made the trenches impassable so they were forced to walk in the open in sight of the enemy.  Mud made the rifles jam and stopped hot food from reaching the troops at the front.  Mud gave the soldiers trench foot from standing in it for hours up to their thighs.  Mud made the job of the stretcher bearers impossible as it could take 12 hours to get one man back to an aid post over a distance that would normally take an hour in the dry.  Mud made the task of the soldiers impossible and their rescue and treatment when wounded, unmanageable. 

Gordon was buried at Dartmoor Cemetery at Becordel-Becourt and Charles was buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Heilly...a distance of 9 miles between the two.  The names of all 3 brothers killed in WW1 appear along with the names of their parents on the family headstone at the Korumburra Cemetery VIC. 

Both Gordon and Charles are commemorated on panel 93 of the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra ACT and Geoge is commemorated on panel 52.  All 3 brothers are commemorated on the Korumburra Pictorial Roll of Honour, the Korumburra War Memorial and the Korumburra South & District Honour Roll.  

After the war their parents received a Memorial Scroll, Plaque and Royal Letter from the King for each one of them.  These were presented to the next of kin of those who died while serving in the Australian Imperial Force in WW1, acknowledging the service of the fallen and their loss as a family.            

Richard Gordon Dawes was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star and the British War Medal.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 4th October 2023.

Sources

“The Lost Boys” written by Paul Byrnes (Book)