Victoria Cross





Colonel James Lennox Dawson VC (25 December 1891 – 15 February 1967) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.



Dawson enlisted into the 5th Cameronians in November 1914, but transferred to the Royal Engineers in March 1915He was 23 years old, and a corporal in the 187th Company, Corps of Royal Engineers, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.





On 13 October 1915 at Hohenzollern Redoubt, France, during a gas attack, when the trenches were full of men, Corporal Dawson exposed himself fearlessly to the enemy's fire in order to give directions to his sappers and to clear the infantry out of sections of the trench which were full of gas. Finding three leaking cylinders, he rolled them well away from the trench, again under heavy fire, and then fired rifle bullets into them to let the gas escape. His gallantry undoubtedly saved many men from being gassed.

His second cousin James Pollock VC was 25 years old and a corporal in the 5th Battalion The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, when he was awarded the VC for his outstanding bravery on 27th September, when he threw hand grenades into a British trench which had been infiltrated by German soldiers, while subjected to heavy machine-gun fire. He held up the German advance until he was wounded





Two commemorative paving stones were unveiled on Sunday (27 September) in a ceremony to honour two men from Tillicoultry who were awarded the Victoria Cross in 1915.They were placed at the corner of High Street and Bank Street.

Provost Tina Murphy, the Council's Veterans Champion commented: "It is a matter of great pride to be involved in this event which honours two local men who came from Clackmannanshire and showed incredible bravery in such a frightening war so far from home. As we mark 100 years since these men were awarded the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, we remember and pay tribute to all those who lost their lives in WW1 and subsequent conflicts."