Photo : Kenneth Jordan with thanks

Photo : Kenneth Jordan with thanks

Sydney Herald Thursday 23/10/1947

Copy of Thomas's Will

Australian War Memorial Photo 041999 See caption

Thomas was born at Healyfield on the 21st May 1901 the eldest son of Frederick Arthur, [born 21st April 1878, died September 1952], and Lily Ada Milner Dowson, [born 1878, died December 1920]. They were married in 1901.

Frederick's father was Thomas Dowson, born 1835 died September 1918, [he was a Coke Drawer working at the Consett Iron Company], who was married to Sarah French, born 8th June 1839, and died in June 1935.

Thomas was the eldest boy of seven children, Eva Milner, born 31st October 1898 at Crook, Durham, [she married Arthur Charles Thompson, born 14th March 1897], Thomas, John Milner, born 11th August 1903, died at Waskerley, Consett, on the 13th November 1983, [In 1939, he was residing at Horsleyhope Mill House, married to Mabel nee Hall born on the 28th February 1902], he was a Forester. Frederick Arthur, born 15th August 1908, [in 1939, he was residing at 85 Durham Road, Consett, Durham and was a Butcher's shop assistant, married to Dora, born 25th August 1913], he died in 1969. Sarah French, born January 1911 died July 1911, Mary, born 1913 and George born 1918.

In 1911 the whole family were residing at 14 Consett Road, Castleside, Consett.

Thomas was a Blast Furnace man working at Consett Iron Company, he emigrated to Australia on the 7th August 1926 from London, disembarking at Sydney. He sailed on the Orient Steamship "Ormuz," 93341. His residence address before departure was 6 Church Street, Castleside, Consett.

In 1939 Frederick, Thomas's father, [in 1891 was an agricultural labourer residing at Wolsingham at Holbourne House], was residing at 90 Sherburn Terrace, Consett, Durham. This was the home of the Thompson family, Arthur Charles Thompson, born 14th May 1897, employed as a Railway Wagon Examiner for the L.N.E.R. who was married to Eva Milner Dowson, Thomas's sister. They had two children with them in 1939, John Frederick Dowson, born 28th June 1924, a boot repairs agent for the company of Cummings, and Kenneth Thompson born 7th August 1934 who was still at school.

The top photograph on the right, the reverse shows this address written in pencil.

Thomas married Elizabeth Rowe in 1931 in New South Wales, Australia. He became a Gas Fitter.

Thomas resided with his wife Elizabeth [Lily], at 34 Lord Street, North Sydney, New South Wales, his brother in law was Charles Alfred Rowe.

He enlisted at Paddington, New South Wales, on the 21st June 1940, into the 5th R. R. Battalion, and was given the service number NX/50326, black hair, brown eyes with a scar on his right arm, he was eventually posted to the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion on the 16th August 1940.

The 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion was raised for service during World War II as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) in May 1940 and drew the majority of its initial intake of personnel from Sydney, New South Wales. The concept of pioneer battalions had originally been explored by the Australians during World War I, when five such battalions were formed and utilised as support troops assigned at divisional level on the Western Front. Notionally organised along a traditional infantry structure, pioneer battalions consisted of a headquarters and four companies, and were expected to serve to undertake minor engineering tasks during combat in order to free up trained engineers for more complex tasks. Four such units were raised during World War II to provide engineer support to the 2nd AIF’s four infantry divisions, and within the divisional structure, the pioneers were administered as corps troops under the direction of the divisional engineer commander.

After undertaking training in various locations in New South Wales, in March 1941 the battalion was moved to Darwin, Northern Territory, to undertake garrison duties. At that time they were assigned to the 7th Division and they remained in the north of Australia until September when they were transported to Sydney. Two months later they embarked on the 'Queen Mary', bound for the Middle East.

They disembarked in Egypt in November and after spending some time in Palestine, they were sent to Syria to undertake garrison duties following the completion of the campaign against the Vichy French forces there. Following this, the battalion was transferred to the 9th Division after the decision was made to bring the 7th Division back to Australia in early 1942 in response to Japan's entry into the war. In July 1942, the 9th Division was moved from Syria to Egypt and between August and November, the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion took part in the fighting around El Alamein.

George embarked for the Middle East on the 1st November 1941 from Sydney arriving in the Middle East on the 22nd November 1941. He was promoted to Corporal on the 26th December 1941. George then was detached to the Middle East Weapons Training School [MEWT], no 20. Promoted to acting Sergeant on the 28th September 1942. He then was promoted to an a WO Class II from the 3rd October 1942.

George was killed in action on the 23rd October, which was the first day of the battle of El Alamein.

In early 1943, the battalion returned to Australia as the 9th Division was brought back from the Middle East to deal with the threat posed by Japan's entry into the war. After this, training was undertaken on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland before the 2/3rd were committed to the fighting in the New Guinea campaign around Lae in September 1943. The battalion's main involvement in the campaign was to carry out manual tasks such as unloading and carrying stores. Later, during the Huon Peninsula campaign, they landed at Scarlet Beach, north of Finschhafen, where they served in a defensive role and helped to turn back a Japanese counter-attack before undertaking various construction tasks around Sattelberg.

In March 1944, the battalion was withdrawn back to Australia for rest and reorganisation. They subsequently spent over a year training in Queensland before taking part in the fighting on Tarakan during the Borneo campaign in mid-1945, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Anderson. During the landing on Sadau, in the Balagau Strait, the battalion's personnel manned machine-guns on the landing craft that brought the Australians ashore. Following this, the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion undertook engineering tasks around the beachhead. As the Australians advanced along the Anzac Highway towards the Japanese airfield, the battalion was withdrawn from construction tasks and put into the line as infantry. On the 4th May, they were assigned to support the 26th Brigade and after relieving the 2/23rd Battalion, they commenced patrolling operations around the Tarakan town and the adjacent oilfields. The following day they launched an attack against Japanese positions located on two hills dubbed "Helen" and "Sadie" by the Australians. By the 14th May, with artillery and air support, these positions were captured and two days elements of the battalion were able to advance through the Japanese lines, reaching the mouth of the Amal River on the coast. It was during the fighting on "Helen" in early May that one of the battalion's soldiers, Corporal Jack Mackey, performed the deeds that resulted in him being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

The fighting on Tarakan came to an end in mid-June when organised Japanese resistance was overcome. Small pockets of Japanese troops remained at large, however, and so mopping up operations were undertaken throughout June and into July until these groups began to surrender due to their increasingly desperate shortage of food. During this time, the 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion conducted barge patrols between Tarakan and the neighbouring islands, as well as undertaking foot patrols in the south of the island.

Source : Wikipedia

He was reburied in El Alamein Cemetery on the 31st May 1945.

When he died he left £300 11s 0d to his wife. His will was probated on the 23rd January 1943.

He is remembered at the Australian Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial.

Caption for Photograph no 5. Western Desert, Egypt. 1942-09-10. Men of the 2/3rd Australian Pioneer Battalion serving with the 9th Australian Division on the Northern Sector of the Western Desert front firing a captured Italian Breda 47 mm Anti Tank gun out to sea.

Australian War Memorial Ref 041999.

2/3rd Pioneer Battalion
German Minefields at El Alamein
The CWGC entry for Warrant Officer Class II Dowson