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| THE NEWCASTLE BRANCH OF THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS ASSOCIATION PAY TRIBUTE TO LANCE CORPORAL FREDERICK DOBSON VC, OF THE 2ND BATTALION. |
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| 28 September 2014 |
| Members of the Newcastle Branch of the Coldstream Guards Association gathered in the city's Ryton Cemetery to pay tribute to Lance Corporal Frederick Dobson, 2nd Bn, Coldstream Guards, on the 100th Anniversay of his heroic Victoria Cross action at Chavonne, Aisne, on the 28 September 1914. ( Images courtesy David Stout ). |
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| THE GRAVE AND HEADSTONE OVER THE BURIAL PLOT OF FREDERICK DOBSON IN RYTON CEMETERY, TYNE AND WEAR, HAS BEEN REFURBISHED. |
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| 20 August 2014 |
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In 1935 Frederick Dobson was living in rented rooms at Westgate Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne when he died at the city's General Hospital on the 13th November 1935, aged forty-nine, and was buried in Ryton Cemetery with full military honours. For fifty years Frederick Dobson's grave lay unattended and obscured until the local branch of the Coldstream Guards Association was alerted. On the 15th March 1986 the Association held a service of thanksgiving at the graveside and dedicated a new headstone over the plot. The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Branch of the Coldstream Guards Association has now taken ownership of the Frederick Dobson plot, meaning the grave is the property of the Coldstream Guards and will be maintained in perpetuity by the local Coldstream Guards Association. The grave has recently been refurbished and kerbing has been added to the plot. |
| On Monday, 28th September 1914, under a thick mist a patrol of three men was sent towards the German lines. The mist suddenly lifted and the three men became easy targets. One managed to return to British lines and Frederick Dobson volunteered to go out across the exposed battlefield by crawling over the ground, under heavy fire, to see if he could help the remaining two men. He found Private Haldeby dead and Private Butler wounded in three places. Dobson rendered first aid and then returned for a stretcher and assistance, crawling back the entire way. With Corporal Brown and using a stretcher Dobson brought in the wounded Private Butler back to safety, again over fire exposed ground.
For the award of the Victoria Cross [ London Gazette, 9 December 1914 ], Chavonne, Aisne, France, 28 September 1914, Private Frederick William Dobson, 2nd Bn, Coldstream Guards.
For conspicuous gallantry at Chavonne ( Aisne ) on the 28th September, in bringing into cover on two occasions, under heavy fire, wounded men who were lying exposed in the open.
Frederick Dobson was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 3rd February 1915.
Frederick Dobson left his Victoria Cross and campaign medals to his regiment but three of them, including the VC, turned up in a pawnbroker's shop in Newcastle in 1936. In agreement with the Dobson family the medals were retained by the Coldstream Guards Regimental Collection. The two missing medals were in the possession of Frederick Dobson's oldest son and in May 1988 Dobson's widow offered the two missing medals to the Regimental Collection. Frederick Dobson's full VC medal group resides with the Coldstream Guards RHQ, Wellington Barracks, London. |
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Iain Stewart, 12 October 2014