Rawson was born in Port Louis, Mauritius, the son of Rawson W. Rawson and his wife Sophia. His father was Treasurer and Paymaster-general in the colony and went on to serve as Secretary of Cape Colony between 1854 and 1864 and Governor of the Bahamas between 1864 and 1875. Rawson was educated at Westminster School in London, as was his younger brother William. He played cricket whilst at school, playing in the 1st XI in 1869 and 1870 as a wicket-keeper.
Military career
After leaving school he joined the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was commissioned into the British Army as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in September 1872. He specialised in under-sea mining operations and was posted to Bermuda in 1877 before being seconded to the Treasury between 1880 and 1884. He was promoted to captain in 1884 before serving on Malta the following year and in Canada between 1885 and 1889, training local militia in under-sea mining operations. He was Secretary of the Royal Engineers Committee and the War Office Ordnance Committee between 1890 and 1894 and was promoted to major in December 1891, and lieutenant-colonel on 7 July 1899. After the outbreak of the Second Boer War in October 1899, Rawson was posted to South Africa where he commanded the Royal Engineers lines of communication in Natal Colony, and was part of the force which relieved Ladysmith in March 1900. He received the brevet rank of colonel on 29 November 1900, and was for a time posted in the Transvaal, but was back in Natal Commanding Royal Engineers in the Pietermaritzburg area during the later part of the war. He was mentioned in dispatches twice and awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with four clasps. Following the end of hostilities in June 1902, Rawson left Cape Town on the SS Orissa, which arrived at Southampton in late October 1902. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the October 1902 South African honours list. His rank of colonel was made substantive in 1905 and he went on to serve as the RE commander at York. He retired from the army in September 1909.
Football and cricket
Rawson represented his school at football between 1869 and 1871, becoming captain in his final year. After he was commissioned in the Army, he joined the Royal Engineers football club, and was a member of the side who reached the 1874 FA Cup Final, losing 2–0 to Oxford University. His brother William played for the opposition. The following year, the Engineers again reached the final, this time defeating the Old Etonians 2–0 in a replay, after a 1–1 draw in the first match. Shortly before the 1875 FA Cup Final, Rawson was selected for the England team against Scotland. This was the first occasion on which two brothers played for England in the same match. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. Rawson was also a cricketer. He played for Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and regularly for Royal Engineers when he was serving in the United Kingdom. He was described as "for many years the best wicket-keeper in the Corps", often standing up to the stumps to fast bowling. In September 1873 he made his only appearance in first-class cricket, playing for Kent County Cricket Club against W. G. Grace's XI at Gravesend. Although he failed to score, he claimed four wickets either from catches or stumpings.
