Montagu Dawson
Encyclopedia
Group Captain
Montagu Ellis Hawkins Dawson DFC & Bar
, DFM
(9 September 1919 – 7 January 2003) was a British
bombardier and navigator.
Dawson was born at Langley
, Buckinghamshire
. Dawson's father was killed in a road accident when he was six and so his mother placed him in the care of The Royal Orphanage of Wolverhampton
.
Dawson matriculated
in 1939 and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
shortly before war broke out. He was called-up as an NCO navigator and had less than 22 hours night-flying experience when he took part in bombing raids over northern Europe in 1941.
aircraft taking part in an attack against the Scharnhorst
, a German battleship that had been harassing North Atlantic convoys. Despite heavy fire from the Scharnhorst and circling Me109s
, Dawson, who was by then positioned in the exposed aircraft fore-belly, achieved a perfect bomb release and five direct hits. The fierce German counter-attack resulted in Dawson's aircraft being badly damaged and the rear-gunner being seriously injured. Dawson then crawled to the rear of the aircraft and dragged him to the mid-section where he injected him with painkillers.
Dawson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal
and promoted from sergeant navigator to pilot officer
for his actions. By the end of the war Dawson had completed 74 missions and added two Distinguished Flying Crosses to his DFM.
. He completed his air force career at NATO Headquarters in Brussels
, where he was chairman of the Tactical Air Group working on arms-reduction talks with the Warsaw Pact
.
Dawson retired from the RAF in 1974 and took up and appointment with British Aerospace
at Warton Aerodrome
in Lancashire. Here he played a key role in implementing Project Al-Yamamah
, a huge military training and support contract with the Saudi
government. He temporarily retired in 1985 but was persuaded by the company to return for another two years.
Dawson spent his retirement fundraising for the Theatre Royal
and military museums in Winchester
. He also edited the Compton and Shawford
parish magazine and campaigned with environmentalists against the M3 motorway extension through Twyford Down
.
Group Captain Montagu Dawson, DFC and Bar, DFM, died on 7 January 2003. He was aged 83.
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Montagu Ellis Hawkins Dawson DFC & Bar
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, DFM
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
(9 September 1919 – 7 January 2003) was a British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
bombardier and navigator.
Dawson was born at Langley
Langley, Slough
Langley is a large village in the unitary authority of Slough, Berkshire in South East England. It is situated 2 miles east of central Slough, and 20 miles west of London...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Dawson's father was killed in a road accident when he was six and so his mother placed him in the care of The Royal Orphanage of Wolverhampton
Royal Wolverhampton School
The Royal Wolverhampton School began life as The Wolverhampton Orphan Asylum in 1850. It was founded by John Lees, a local lock-manufacturer and freemason, after a cholera epidemic ravaged the town and left many children orphaned...
.
Dawson matriculated
Matriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
in 1939 and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
shortly before war broke out. He was called-up as an NCO navigator and had less than 22 hours night-flying experience when he took part in bombing raids over northern Europe in 1941.
Citation
On 24 July 1941 Dawson was the bomb-aimer and navigator in a HalifaxHandley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
aircraft taking part in an attack against the Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
, a German battleship that had been harassing North Atlantic convoys. Despite heavy fire from the Scharnhorst and circling Me109s
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
, Dawson, who was by then positioned in the exposed aircraft fore-belly, achieved a perfect bomb release and five direct hits. The fierce German counter-attack resulted in Dawson's aircraft being badly damaged and the rear-gunner being seriously injured. Dawson then crawled to the rear of the aircraft and dragged him to the mid-section where he injected him with painkillers.
Dawson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
and promoted from sergeant navigator to pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
for his actions. By the end of the war Dawson had completed 74 missions and added two Distinguished Flying Crosses to his DFM.
Later life and career
Dawson remained in the air force after the war and was eventually promoted to Group CaptainGroup Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
. He completed his air force career at NATO Headquarters in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where he was chairman of the Tactical Air Group working on arms-reduction talks with the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
.
Dawson retired from the RAF in 1974 and took up and appointment with British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
at Warton Aerodrome
Warton Aerodrome
Warton Aerodrome is located near to Warton village on the Fylde in Lancashire, England. The aerodrome is west of Preston, Lancashire, UK.Today the airfield is a major assembly and testing facility of BAE Systems Military Air Solutions....
in Lancashire. Here he played a key role in implementing Project Al-Yamamah
Al Yamamah
Al Yamamah is the name of a series of a record arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, which have been paid for by the delivery of up to of crude oil per day to the UK government. The prime contractor has been BAE Systems and its predecessor British Aerospace...
, a huge military training and support contract with the Saudi
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
government. He temporarily retired in 1985 but was persuaded by the company to return for another two years.
Dawson spent his retirement fundraising for the Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
and military museums in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. He also edited the Compton and Shawford
Compton and Shawford
Compton and Shawford is a civil parish in the City of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The word compton means village in a combe and aptly describes the settlement as it primarily consists of a long street on the side of a chalk valley....
parish magazine and campaigned with environmentalists against the M3 motorway extension through Twyford Down
Twyford Down
Twyford Down is a small area of ancient chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The down's summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery, ecologically rich grassland and as a...
.
Group Captain Montagu Dawson, DFC and Bar, DFM, died on 7 January 2003. He was aged 83.