DOWSE, Richard
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Divisional Train |
| Born: | Portsea, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, 29 June 1866 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Surrey County School, England |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Narrabeen, New South Wales, Australia, 24 May 1955, aged 88 years |
| Cemetery: |
Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, NSW Portion: North Terrace; Row: Gdn 18. |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Lieutenant, Officer, 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 1901: | Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Lieutenant, 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry, National Archives Australia- Boer War Dossier notes returned to Australia aboard Orient arriving Brisbane 16 Jan 1901, date of discharge not stated. |
World War 1 Service
| 19 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, 3rd Divisional Train | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jun 1916: | Involvement 3rd Divisional Train, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Jun 1916: | Involvement --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Jun 1916: | Embarked HMAT Persic, Melbourne | |
| 3 Jun 1916: | Embarked 3rd Divisional Train, HMAT Persic, Melbourne | |
| 28 Dec 1917: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, London Gazette 28 December 1917 on page 13563 at position 19 | |
| 1 Jan 1918: | Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, London Gazette 1 January 1918 on page 28 at position 12 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Claude McKelvey
Richard Dowse was born 29 Jun 1866 at Portsea, Hampshire, England, a son to Henry James Dowse and Rosa Dowse (nee Stevens). After his schooling he joined the military volunteer forces in 1883 serving until 1885 when he migrated to Queensland, Ausralia enlisting in September 1885 in the Queensland Volunteer Rifles. He married Sophia Mary Kate Austin on 12 May 1890 at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, Queensland.
Richard served in both the South African (Boer) War and WW1. His first service was as a Lieutenant in the 1st Queensland Mounted Infantry, Boer War. Aftre his Boer War service he remained part of the permanent military forces in Melbourne, Victoria. He enlisted again in 1916 for WW1 appointed as Lieutenant-Colonel and commander of the 3rd Divisional Train, AIF. He played a key role in actions in France and for outstanding service during the war he was awarded the DSO. On return to Australia he remained in the army serving until he retired in 1922.
He remarried on 27 Dec 1933 to Alice Nicolson at Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, NSW. He died on 24 May 1955 at the war veternas home at Narrabeen, NSW and at the time was survived by his second wife and 3 children from his first marriage.
(source- bio is a extract from the biography by C.C. Falk in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 8, 1981).
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