DAWKINS, William Henry
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 September 1914, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia, 26 October 1892 |
| Home Town: | Ferntree Gully, Knox, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Korong Vale State School, Melbourne High School and Duntroon Military College |
| Occupation: | School Teacher/Military Student |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Gallipoli, 20 May 1915, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Beach Cemetery - ANZAC Cove I. H. 3 |
| Memorials: | Kyneton War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1914: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 2nd Field Company Engineers, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orvieto embarkation_ship_number: A3 public_note: '' |
|
| 21 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 2nd Field Company Engineers, HMAT Orvieto, Melbourne | |
| 20 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 2nd Field Company Engineers, ANZAC / Gallipoli |
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Add my storyBiography
"...Lieutenant William Henry Dawkins, 2nd Field Company Engineers, of Ferntree Gully, Vic. A military student prior to enlistment, Lt Dawkins embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Orvieto on 21st October 1914. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 20th May 1915 and was buried in the Beach Cemetery at Anzac Cove." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
Biography contributed by Michael Silver
Lieutenant William Henry Dawkins who was killed in action on May 20, 1915 was the son of Constable A. Dawkins now stationed at Fern Tree Gully. Lieutenant Dawkins who was 22 years of age was formerly of Korong Vale where he was well known and respected. It was in the Korong Vale State School that he received his early education and later left for the Melbourne Continuation School (later known as Melbourne High School) [1907-1908]. Subsequently he was a teacher in a State school in the Kyneton district. Upon the opening of the Duntroon Military College in 1911, he was one of a few to pass the entrance examination. In fact, he was an enthusiastic military student, and while at the college he graduated to the top of the class. He specialized in military engineering and remained at the college until war broke out. On enlisting he was gazetted a lieutenant in the 2nd Field Company Engineers, but after leaving Egypt for the Dardanelles was transferred to the Divisional headquarters staff. Being of a quiet unassuming nature he was loved by all who he came in contact.
Source: The Bendigo Independent, 3 June 1915, Page 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page24435398
Biography contributed by Andreena Hockley
Among the teachers killed in action at the Dardanelles was Lieutenant William Henry Dawkins, son of Constable Dawkins, formerly of Fern Tree Gully, now of Rowell-avenue, Camberwell. Born on the 26th October, 1892, he attended the Melbourne High School in 1907 and 1903, obtaining the Junior Public pass at the end of his course. He was appointed as junior teacher at Kyneton, where his reports show him to have been a smart and capable teacher, of good presence, who worked diligently with activity and force.
He resigned in 1911 to enter the Military College at Duntroon, and there proved himself a brilliant student of engineering and tactics.
He was attached to No. 2 Field Company of Engineers in the First Expeditionary Force. His official military records say that he enlisted on the 14th of August, 1914, and embarked with the 2nd Field Company Engineers on the transport Orvieto on the 21st of October. After serving in Egypt with his unit, he proceeded to Gallipoli, and was killed on the 20th of May, 1915.
Source: The Education Department's Record of War Service, Victoria, 1914-1919.
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