Edward Lawson
VC (11 April 1873 – 2 July 1955) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
forces.
![Private_Edward_Lawson_VC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Private_Edward_Lawson_VC.jpg)
He was a
Private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
in the 1st Battalion,
The Gordon Highlanders
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
,
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
during the
Tirah Campaign
The Tirah campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah expedition, was an Indian frontier campaign from September 1897 to April 1898. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country in what was formally known as Federally ...
when the following deed took place on 20 October 1897 on the
Dargai Heights
Dargai ( ps, درگئی; ur, ) is one of the Tehsil, tehsils of Malakand District (the other being Batkhela) in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It located on the main highway from Peshawar to Swat (princely state), Swat, D ...
, for which he was awarded the VC:
Private Lawson continued to serve with his regiment until 1902. He had a further period of military service serving as a Sergeant in the Northern Cyclist Battalion before and during the First World War.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
There are two memorials to Edward Lawson in Newcastle upon Tyne. The first is a bench dedicated to him in Old Eldon Square by the war memorial. The second is a memorial to Newcastle's Victoria Cross recipients outside the Discovery Museum in the city's west end.
Sometime after The First World War, Edward Lawson lived with his family in Parson's Avenue, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, having moved from the Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Honours
References
Location of grave and VC medal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Edward
1873 births
1955 deaths
Military personnel from Newcastle upon Tyne
British recipients of the Victoria Cross
Gordon Highlanders soldiers
British military personnel of the Tirah campaign
British military personnel of the Chitral Expedition
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross