Photo: Pauline Priano
Photo: Pauline Priano
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Robert Mawson, was the 4th born of 7 brothers, of whom only 5 survived and had 2 elder and 1 younger sister. His father Thomas Mawson Snr was born in Stanhope, County Durham in 1840 and married in Weardale in 1871 to Rachael Hughes born 1850, some records state in Staffordshire, other in Wales. Rachael was brought to the north east by her parents, her father Robert was an iron roller, he had married her mother, Elizabeth in circa 1847, having left Wales in 1861 the family were living in Walker, a suburb of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland.
Thomas and Rachael settled in Stanhope where son William was born in 1871, baptised July 6th, George 1872, Matthew 1875, Mary 1877 and Hannah 1879, in 1881 they were living in East Lane, Stanhope, where Thomas was employed as a limestone quarry-man. Thomas Jnr, was born May 26th 1883, John in Leadgate in 1888, as was Robert at Green Street but sadly their son George (17) died the following year. By 1891 although they were living at 176 & 177 Leadgate Cottages owned by Consett Iron Company, Thomas Snr was employed as a labourer in the coal mine, as was Matthew (16), now the eldest of the Mawson brothers living at home as William and George were both married. Youngest daughter and son Rachael and Joseph were born 1890 and 1899 respectively, Joseph died in 1905 aged 7-years, his mother Rachael (54) in 1906. Thomas Mawson Snr in 1911, employed as a screen man, was living in 2 rooms at 176, Bottle Bank, Leadgate, with his daughter Rachael, her husband, furnace man’s helper, Thomas Henry Pearson, granddaughters Rachael (14) a stocking knitter and Mary (2), to increment the family income they had taken in a boarder, widow Eleanor Grace Dunn, a dressmaker. Thomas Mawson Snr died aged 73 years in 1912.
Robert Mawson had left the family home in 1909 when he was married in the district of Lanchester, County Durham, to Frances Smailes, born October 17th 1889, who had a daughter of her own, Sylvia Smailes born, April 24th 1908, in Waterhouses, County Durham. By 1911 they were living at Heckler Buildings, Witton Gilbert, County Durham, Robert and Frances had had two children of their own, only one of whom had survived, a daughter Hannah, born April 19th 1910. Son Thomas Smailes Mawson was born in the district of Chester-le-Street, April 23rd 1912 and Dora J. Mawson during the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1914 within months of Britain declaring war with Germany.
Robert enlisted at Consett, one of 500,000 men who answered the call to arms when Lord Kitchener called for volunteers to join the New Armies. All regiments raised new battalions and Robert was assigned as Private 20998 to the 12th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, attached to the 68th Brigade, 23rd Division. Training was slow as the men had no uniforms or weapons until October 1914 when they received blue serge uniforms and 100 obsolete Lee Metford rifles. With the onset of winter the tented camp became unusable, they moved to Malplaquet Barracks, Aldershot, Hampshire, in November then to Ashford, Kent, returning to Bramshot in the late spring of 1915. By July 1915 having received uniforms and equipment the division was ready for the front and departed August 26th 1915. The 12th Battalion D.L.I. landed with the division at Boulogne concentrating near Tilques until moving for trench familiarisation to Merris-Vieux Berquin area under the guidance of the 20th and 27th Divisions, September 5th 1915. September 14th they were sent into the front line trenches for the first time between Ferme Grande Flamengrie to the Armentieres-Wez-Macquart road until they were relieved in January 1916 and sent to the Bruay area for a period of rest returning to front line March 3rd taking over from the French 17th Division the line between Boyan de L’Ersatz and the Souchez River. Several of the men were transferred in March 1916 to the newly formed Tunnelling Company and transferred to the Royal Engineers on loan returning to their unit during April, once again at rest near Bruay, returning to the Souchez area before the attack at Vimy Ridge, May 21st 1916. It was at this time that Private Mawson would have learnt of the death of his daughter Dora, during the 2nd quarter (Apr/May/June) 1916 only 1-year old.
The infantry moved to Bomy for intensive training June 1916 in preparation for the commencement of the Battles of the Somme. July 7th 1916 the 12th Battalion entered the fighting south of La Boisselle, near Albert, then spent most of August in reserve. October 7th, assisted by a tank they attacked snd captured the Tangle, a complex of trenches and machine guns, east of Le Sars during the Battle of Le Transloy and captured 70 Germans with the loss of only 30 men killed and 80 wounded, they were then withdrawn and sent north to Belgium where they spent the rest of the winter 1916 and spring 1917 in the mud filled trenches of the Ypres salient.
The tunnelling companies had been hard at work in the sector, not an easy task as the soil in that area was sandy. The explosive filled tunnels were ignited under the German lines June 7th 1917 on the Messines Ridge, the 12th Battalion advanced capturing Impartial trench with the loss of only 15 casualties. Amongst those reported as missing or wounded was Private Robert Mawson, later struck off and declared as, “killed in action,” June 7th 1917.
His sacrifice is recorded as one of 54,395 names inscribed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, commemorating servicemen from Britain and the Commonwealth who perished on the Ypres Salient up to August 15th 1917, whose bodies were never found or could not be retrieved denying them a known and honoured burial.
His widow received all monies due to him from the Army, his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, sent to her at 244, Nelson Street, Leadgate, County Durham, also a pension for herself and their two natural children of 22 shillings 11 pence increased by 3 shillings 4 pence in respect of Sylvia as of December 24th 1917 having been proven that Private Mawson had supported her as if she were his own.
Frances remarried in the district of Lanchester during the 3rd quarter (Jul/Aug/Sep) 1918 to Thomas William Gillett, born April 4th 1885. who would have most certainly served during WW1 although no record has been found.
In 1936 Frances’ daughter Sylvia was married in the district of Bishop Auckland to Benjamin Nicholson who not only had served during WW1 with the Royal Navy but continued to serve until 1923. In 1939 Benjamin and Sylvia were living at 16, Railway Street, Stanley, County Durham, Benjamin is described as, “head waggonway man.” Sylvia Smailes Nicholson nee Mawson (68) died in 1977, district of Darlington, Benjamin Nicholson (79) in 1978, also in County Durham.
Thomas and Frances Gillett in 1939 were living at 20, Low King Street, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, where he was employed as a pipe yard labourer. Frances Gillett-Mawson nee Smailes (55) died in 1944, Thomas W. Gillett (64) in 1949, both registered, Durham Western.
Details of Robert and Frances Mawson’s children;
Hannah Mawson married in 1927, district of Bishop Auckland, to David Stott born in Phoenix Row, County Durham, and with whom she had a son David Jnr, October 28th 1927 and Frederick, July 2nd 1934. In 1939 they were living at 59, Clayton Ville, Edmundsley, County Durham where David was a wagonway man. Their marriage seems to have ended in divorce as she married for a second time in 1947, David Stott (59) died in 1964. Her second husband Edward Kirsop Stewart of Gateshead, County Durham, born April 22nd 1912 died in 1984 aged 72-years, his death was preceded by that of Hannah Stewart-Stott nee Mawson in 1980 aged 70 years, registered Durham North Western.
Thomas Smailes Mawson married in the district of Bishop Auckland in 1937 to Gladys Newman of Phoenix Row, County Durham, born June 13th 1911. In 1939 they were living at 71, Low King Street, Bishop Auckland, with their daughter Sylvia, born December 7th 1938, Thomas was a coal hewer. They had a further 3 children, Robert in 1940-died 1940, Cynthia 1944 and Robert, August 4th 1951. Gladys Mawson nee Newman (75) died June 28th 1986 and was cremated at Durham Crematorium. Thomas Smailes Mawson died in Beverley, Humberside, in 1996.
Grandchildren;
David Stott 1927-1986 married in 1948 to Doreen Doughboy, born February 19th 1930-died 2001
Sylvia Mawson 1938-1981 twice married, to William Shotton, born March 8th 1926-died 1978 and in 1960 to Maurice C. Woodall born December 13th 1935-died May 2nd 1997.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Robert Mawson is remembered at Leadgate on L65.02 and L65.03
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 144
