大象传媒

The eager young Sherwood Forester whom Dorothy Shimwell waved off to France in 1939 returned from Dunkirk, haggard and hollow-eyed, in June 1940. No sooner was he out of one danger when he was into another 鈥� rushed into Derby Infirmary with a burst appendix. Recovering in Scotland, he was visited by Lt Colonel Cavendish, then Commanding Officer 7th Worcesters, who asked him to be his batman/escort. They embarked for India in April 1942 and Corporal Dawson was with, by then, Brigadier Cavendish in Burma on 5th April 1943 when a Japanese attack left him crawling through ditches to escape, as ordered. 鈥淎fter some time a number of us got down close to the sea and joined up with some of our gunners鈥�, wrote Bennett. He rejoined the Worcesters in reserve in the rear and was promoted to Lance Sergeant. In April 1944, the Japanese advancing across from Burma to India were halted by a small Commonwealth force at Kohima, 鈥渢he scene of perhaps the most bitter fighting of the Burma campaign鈥�. Relieving forces, which included Bennett and the Worcesters, were immediately engaged in fierce hand-to-hand fighting around the tennis court of the Deputy Commissioner鈥檚 bungalow and the Japanese were driven back. It was an heroic defence which cost many lives, including that of Bennett Dawson on 12th June. He lies in Kohima War Cemetery, remembered with his fallen comrades by the celebrated inscription

This story was donated by Andrew McCloy and was submitted to the site by Alison Tebbutt, Derby CSV Action Desk. The author has given his permission and fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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