Robert Boyd Dawson
Born 21 Jul 1916 - Died 24 Jul 1977
- Service number
- WWII 11727 AWMM
- Malaya 30039 AWMM
- Vietnam 30039 AWMM
- Also known as
- R.B. Dawson AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- Major General/Military AWMM Northern Military District AWMM
- War
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- Robert Boyd AWMM
- Surname
- Dawson AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- R.B. Dawson AWMM
- Service number
- WWII 11727 AWMM
- Malaya 30039 AWMM
- Vietnam 30039 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
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- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 21 Jul 1916 AWMM Rotorua AWMM
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
- WW2 Pre 1940 AWMM Burnham Camp AWMM
- WW2 Pre 1944 AWMM Burnham Camp AWMM
- Jayforce Pre 1946-1948 AWMM Burnham Camp AWMM
- Post war occupation
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- Next of kin
- WW2 Mr. Richard Dawson, P.O. Box 12, Ngongotaha, Rotorua (father) AWMM
- WW2 Mrs. V.C.B. Dawson, c/o Major R.B. Dawson, Royal Military College, Duntroon, Canberra, Australia (w) AWMM
- Jayforce Mrs. V.C.B. Dawson, C/o. Mjr. R.B. Dawson, Royal Military College, Duntroon, Canberra, Aust. (w) AWMM
- Relationship status
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Wars and conflicts
- War
- Campaign
- Greece AWMM
- 1941 AWMM Crete AWMM
- Western Desert AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWII 11727 AWMM
- Malaya 30039 AWMM
- Vietnam 30039 AWMM
- Military service
- 5 Infantry Brigade AWMM
Brigade Major from May-September 1941, January-June 1942 AWMM - 6 Infantry Brigade AWMM
Brigade Major AWMM - Royal Military College (RMC), Duntroon, UK AWMM
- New Zealand Regiment, 3 Battalion AWMM
- New Zealand Army, Headquarters AWMM
Director of Staff Duties AWMM - Southeast Asia Treaty Organization AWMM
- 28 Commonwealth Infantry Brigade AWMM
- 5 Infantry Brigade AWMM
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) AWMM
- Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) AWMM
- Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) AWMM
DSO: NZ Gazette, 21 September 1944. Citation: "For devotion to duty and great qualities of leadership. Captain Dawson is Brigade Major to 5 Infantry Brigade and, during the whole of the operations in Crete showed great qualities of endurance and leadership. When communications failed as a result of enemy landings and air machinegunning, I sent Captain Dawson up to assist in reorganizing the units that had been driven off Maleme Airfield. He was absent for 20 hours, and during the whole time moved from unit to unit in great personal peril, but inspiring the commanders into further efforts. He walked many miles through parachutist infested country to report over the telephone, and he his efforts the new front was established and securely held. In the later phases on the march to the beach he was untiring in his efforts to establish points of resistance to the enemy's advance. I do not think any other individual officer did so much to increase (the) fighting capacity of the troops as Captain Dawson." AWMM - 1939-1945 Star AWMM
- Africa Star (8th Army clasp) AWMM
- Defence Medal AWMM
- War Medal 1939-1945 with oak leaf AWMM
- New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
- General Service Medal 1918-62 (Malaya clasp) AWMM
- Coronation Medal ER 1953 AWMM
- New Zealand Operational Service Medal AWMM
- Vietnam Medal AWMM
- Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
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- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
- WW2 Regular soldier/Civilian 2NZEF Nom. Roll 2, p.49
- Age on enlistment
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- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Captain/Military 2NZEF Nom. Roll 2, p.49 23 Infantry Battalion 2NZEF Nom. Roll 2, p.49 Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
- WW2 Major/Military 2NZEF Nom. Roll 13, p.32 Infantry Brigade 2NZEF Nom. Roll 13, p.32 Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM - Jayforce Major/Military 2NZEF Nom. Roll 16, p.32 Infantry Brigade 2NZEF Nom. Roll 16, p.32 British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) Japan AWMM
3rd Embarkation AWMM - Malaya Brigadier/Military Malaya FARELF (R21234083) New Zealand Infantry Regiment Malaya FARELF (R21234083) British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve AWMM
4th Embarkation AWMM - Vietnam Major General (Chief of General Staff)/Military Ministry for Culture and Heritage Visitor Ministry for Culture and Heritage
5th Embarkation AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
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Last known rank
- Last rank
- Major General/Military AWMM
Northern Military District AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Adjutant to 23 Battalion, 1940.
Brigade Major (BM) for 5 NZ Infantry Brigade, Greece and Crete.
BM for 6 NZ Infantry Brigade, Western Desert, 1942-43.
Instructor at RMC Duntroon, 1943-46.
Commanding Officer (CO) of 3 Battalion, NZ Regt, Japan, 1947-48.
Member of SEATO staff, 1957.
Commander of 28 Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, 1962-65.
Commander of NZ Northern Military District (NMD), 1968.
Chief of the General Staff (CGS), 1969.
Aide-de-camp (ADC) to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Retired 1970. AWMM
About death
- Death
- 24 Jul 1977 AWMM
Age 61 AWMM
Lower Hutt AWMM - Date of death
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- Age at death
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- Place of death
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- Cause of death
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- Death notes
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- Cemetery
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- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
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Sources
- External links
- J Force - A talk about 3rd Battalion, Yamaguchi and greetings (9672). A greeting recorded by this man in Japan in 1947 can be heard on Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision's website.
https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/search-use-collection/search/9672
Further Reference - Johnston, S. (2025, August 11). Voices of J Force: Recordings of New Zealanders in post-war Japan. Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/explore-stories/stories/new-zealand-history/voices-of-j-force-recordings-of-new-zealanders-in-post-war-japan/
Further Reference
- J Force - A talk about 3rd Battalion, Yamaguchi and greetings (9672). A greeting recorded by this man in Japan in 1947 can be heard on Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision's website.
- References
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1942). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 5 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1941 to 30 September, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
- This record was created from data kindly provided by the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
- Subritzky, M. (1990). The Subritzky legend. Waikanae, N.Z.: Heritage Press.
- Hall, C. (2014). No front line : inside stories of New Zealand's Vietnam War. Auckland, New Zealand : Penguin Books.
- Ross, A. (1959). 23 Battalion. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- FARELF Nominal Roll Part 1 1958-1961 - Archives New Zealand, Wellington, CAJN CH189/Box70 41/4/11 (R21234083)
- Coronation Medals 1953 - Nominal Roll. Archives New Zealand, Wellington (R21681744)
- McGibbon, I.C. (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: a history of combat, commitment and controversy. Auckland, N.Z.: Exisle
- McClymont, W. (1959). To Greece. Wellington, N.Z.: Department Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Davin, D. (1953). Crete. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
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