Online Collection

The Online Collection showcases a selection of our objects for you to discover and explore. This resource will grow as the Museum's Collection is catalogued and computerised, and as new acquisitions are added.

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'First Light', the advance to cut off Benghazi, 1941

Watercolour en grisaille with pen and ink over pencil, by Eric 'Jack' Dawson, 2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade, 1942 (c).

Various British Army vehicles including a Ford Fordor C11ADF utility vehicle, travelling through a desert landscape at night. A motorcyclist is visible to the left and a man wearing headphones with a wireless in the back of a truck to the right hand side.

During World War Two (1939-1945) Eric Dawson served in North Africa, Syria, Palestine and the Lebanon, with the 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade, the Royal Engineers and the Army Educational Corps. Dawson participated in a spectacular dash across the desert to cut off retreating Italian units at Benghaz. This took the Italian forces by surprise and 25,000 prisoners were taken.

NAM Accession Number

NAM. 2004-11-25-1

Copyright/Ownership

National Army Museum Copyright

Location

National Army Museum, Study collection

Object URL

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=2004-11-25-1