| Birth name | James Cooper Dawson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 October 1925 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 19 October 2007 (aged 81) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Mauchline, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Glasgow Academy Strathallan School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | The Queen's College, Oxford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Chartered accountant Managing Director | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James 'Hamish' Cooper Dawson (29 October 1925 – 19 October 2007) was a rugby union international who represented Scotland from 1947 to 1953 gaining 20 caps.[1]
Dawson was educated at Glasgow Academy, Strathallan School in Perthshire and The Queen's College, Oxford.[2] He was a talented all-round sportsman, particularly swimming, cricket and rugby.[2] Dawson received a blue for Oxford University, playing against Cambridge University in the 1943-44 season.[3]
He played club rugby for Glasgow Academicals RFC, London Scottish FC and the Barbarians FC.[2]
Dawson was capped for Glasgow District.[4]
He played for the Cities District side in their match against Australia in October 1947.[5]
He turned out for the Scotland Probables side in 1947.[6]
Dawson made his debut for Scotland in a 16-7 loss to Australia at Murrayfield during their 1947-48 tour of Great Britain, one of eight new Scotland caps that day.[2] His first three caps were played at lock, which included a 9-8 victory over France at Murrayfield and a 14-0 loss to Wales in Cardiff in the 1948 Five Nations Championship.[1]
Dawson's next seventeen caps were played at prop starting with an 8-0 victory over France in the 1949 Five Nations Championship in Paris.[1] This was followed by a 6-5 win over Wales at Murrayfield and a 13-3 defeat to Ireland at the same venue.[1] He played all four matches in the 1950 Five Nations Championship, starting with a third consecutive victory over France, 8-5 in Edinburgh.[1] Scotland lost 12-0 to Wales and 21-0 to Ireland in Cardiff and Dublin respectively.[1] Regaining some pride with a 13-11 win against England at Murrayfield.[1]
In 1951 Dawson played on five occasions for Scotland, starting with a 14-12 loss to France in Paris. On 3 February, he scored his only points for Scotland with a try in a 19-0 win against Wales at Murrayfield.[1] Three weeks later Scotland lost narrowly to Ireland, 6-5 in Edinburgh, starting a run of 17 consecutive matches without a win, lasting until 1955.[1][7] Dawson also played in the 5-3 defeat to England at Twickenham; Scotland avoiding the 1951 Five Nations Championship wooden spoon on points difference.[1] Later that year Scotland suffered a record 44-0 loss to South Africa at Murrayfield, with South Africa losing only once on their 31-game 1951-52 rugby tour.[1]
Dawson played in all four matches of the 1952 Five Nations Championship.[1] Scotland losing all four matches: 13-11 to France in Edinburgh, 11-0 to Wales in Cardiff, 12-8 to Ireland in Dublin and 19-3 to England at Murrayfield.[1] Dawson played his last match for Scotland against England at Twickenham in a 26-8 loss in the 1953 Five Nations Championship, Scotland receiving the 'wooden spoon' for the second consecutive year.[8]
In 1943 he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, initially serving as a midshipman based at HMS King Alfred and then transferring to HMS Ulysses (R69) in the British Pacific Fleet.[3][8] Dawson then served as a sub-lieutenant on a minesweeper in Hong Kong until December 1946.[3]
After the war, he qualified as a chartered accountant in 1948. He rose through the ranks of Ritchies Paper Products Limited finally becoming managing director in 1968.[9]