Discovering Pvt. Dawson


In 2015, the Marion County Public Library was preparing for the arrival of an extensive WWII exhibit, and I decided to do research on our county in that same time frame. Imagine my surprise when reading the roll call of the dead that a name looked familiar- Paul Dawson.

Looking at local yearbooks confirmed that this Paul Dawson, whose name I'd never heard at a family gathering, was the brother of my maternal grandfather. At the time, I didn't do much research into his life, but on Memorial Day, I began in earnest. Here's his story. 

Isaac Paul Dawson (service number 35742383) was born July 12, 1919 in Farmington, WV, the son of Wilbert Howard Dawson and Olive Osa Fletcher. He had two siblings, Wilbert Harold Dawson, and Maxine Vivian Dawson Stover. It is my understanding that everyone but Maxine went by their middle names.

Paul was a graduate of the Farmington High School Class of 1938. On October 16, 1940, at age 21, Paul registered for the draft. His draft card reads that he was employed by himself as a Filling Station Operator in his hometown of Farmington.

He joined the Army's 31st Signal Heavy Construction Battalion, where he served in North Africa on the HMT Rohna. He was reported as missing in action on November 26, 1943, after German bombers attacked the ship.

However, the precise cause of Paul's death was classified until 1967.

The HMT Rohna started its journey as a passenger and cargo liner for the United Kingdom, but was turned into a troop transport ship during WWII. On November 25, 1943, The HMT Rohna left French Algeria, along with four other troop ships. The next day, November 26, 1943, the Luftwaffe attacked the convoy. Luftwaffe pilot Hans Dochtermann released a radio-guided glide bomb that hit the HMT Rohna about 15 feet above the water line, destroying or rendering unusable many of the ship's lifeboats. The other ships in the convoy proceeded to rescue as many survivors as they could, or in the case of the HMS Atherstone, provided cover fire during the day before rescuing survivors after nightfall.

1,105 casualties of the 1,138 men who were killed were US personnel, in what became the largest loss of US troops at sea in a single incident due to enemy action. All of the 966 survivors were ordered not speak of what happened, under threat of court-martial. By June of 1945, the U.S. government had released accurate casualty numbers, identified the HMT Rohna and credited "German Bombers" as the cause of sinking, but they did not identify the weapon as a glide bomb. The full story was not declassified until 1967, after the passing of the Freedom of Information Act.

Paul was issued a Purple Heart for his service, and is honored with fellow Rohna casualties on the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial. 

FOURTEEN West Virginians were lost in the sinking of the HMT Rohna. I'm unsure of any West Virginians who survived, as the survivor lists only include unit, not home state.

Those West Virginians lost on the HMT Rohna include:
SGT Raymond Bolyard (Preston County), SSGT John Brezinskey (McDowell County), T5 Leland Brown (Clay County), PFC Julius Calvert (Raleigh County), PVT Paul Dawson (Marion County), PFC Howard Jenkins (McDowell County), PVT Leroy Lanham (Upshur County), PVT Glenn McClung (Raleigh County), SGT Raymond McDaniel (Kanawha County), PVT Denver Parsons (Boone County), PVT Harry Ridgway (Ritchie County), PFC Odell Shepherd (McDowell County), CPL Harry Smith (Hampshire County), and PVT William Wade (Lincoln County).

I've started a post for more information about the other WV Rohna Casualties, you can see it by clicking HERE.

For more information, please see:

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