GEORGE DAWES
The time that the Dawes family stayed in Portsmouth coincides almost exactly with the period between George Dawes' birth and his departure to join the Royal Navy. Before his birth they lived in London and after he left they moved to Wiltshire.
George's father Edward Dawes was born in Pimlico, London in 1865 and he married Ellen Harriett Taylor at Kensington in 1887. She had been born in Bristol in 1863. In 1891 the couple were living in Lambeth where their first child Edward jnr. was born in 1891. A move to Pimlico was followed by the birth of their second son Charles in 1893. Edward snr. had been working as a postman whilst the family were in London and it may have been a posting within the Post Office that brought him to Portsmouth.
The 1901 census records the family living at 13 St. Paul's Road, Southsea and includes three more children, all born in Portsmouth - George (b. 1894), Alfred (b. 1897) and Henry (b. 1900). Ten years later the family had moved to 100 King Street, Southsea and the two oldest boys had left home. Edward snr. was still working as a postman but was not present for the 1911 census having seemingly been posted to Salisbury. Soon after, George left to join the navy and the rest of the family followed Edward to Wiltshire.
Nothing is currently known of George's career in the navy except that he was serving on HMS Glowworm when in September 1918 she was sent to Northern Russia. The ship was moored in Archangel harbour when a barge lying alongside exploded. 18 members of the ship's complement were killed, including George Dawes who was buried at Semenovka Cemetery.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) list G Dawes, Leading Seaman (J/12434), Royal Navy, died 25/08/1919, age 25. Remembered at Archangel Allied Cemetery (Grave Ref: Sp. Mem. B34). Son of Edward and Ellen Dawes, of Martin, Salisbury, Wilts. Born at Portsmouth. (Buried Semenovka (Bereznik) Cem Extension).
George Dawes is commemorated on the Cenotaph, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth. He is not listed in "The National Roll of the Great War", Section X.
Tim Backhouse
January 2015