Edward Lawson

He risked his life in battle to bring wounded men to safety.

Edward Lawson was born in Newcastle upon Tyne on 11 April 1873, the son of a cattle drover. He joined the Gordon Highlanders as a young man and served in India during the 1890s. His regiment took part in the Chitral expedition and the later fighting on the North-West Frontier.

On 20 October 1897, during the assault on the Dargai Heights, Lieutenant Kenneth Dingwall was wounded and left exposed to enemy fire. Private Lawson went to his assistance and carried him to safety. He then returned for Private McMillan, bringing him in despite receiving two wounds himself. The rescue of both men under fire earned him the Victoria Cross.

Queen Victoria presented the medal at Windsor Castle on 25 June 1898. Lawson briefly returned to civilian employment in Newcastle, but subsequently resumed service with his regiment and fought in the South African War. He left the regular army in October 1902.

He married Robina Ursula Scott in 1908 and worked as an electrical wireman. The couple raised six children in Heaton before moving to Walker. He also served with the Northern Cyclist Battalion before and during the First World War, helping protect the north-east coast. A family-supported local history records him as a company sergeant during this period.

Lawson died at Walker on 2 July 1955, aged eighty-two, and was buried in Heaton Cemetery. His medals passed to the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen. A replacement headstone was erected in 1999.

Victoria Cross citation

During the attack on the Dargai Heights on the 20th October, 1897, Private Lawson carried Lieutenant K. Dingwall, the Gordon Highlanders (who was wounded and unable to move), out of a heavy fire, and subsequently returned and brought in Private McMillan, being himself wounded in two places.