Rawson was born in India, the second son of Edward Creswell Rawson. He went to England, where he was educated at
Cheltenham College. Upon his graduation from the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, in 1908, Rawson was commissioned into the
Royal Engineers as a
second lieutenant. He was promoted
lieutenant on 18 August 1910. By 20 November 1915, over fifteen months after the outbreak of the
First World War, he had been promoted to
captain, and he was then given command of a signals
company at a
corps headquarters, with a temporary
majority. He was awarded the
Military Cross (MC) in the
1916 King's Birthday Honours. His temporary rank became a
brevet on 3 June 1917. He was appointed assistant director, army signals (with the acting rank of
lieutenant-colonel) on 19 April 1917, relinquishing the post (and the rank) on 13 November 1917. He was then appointed a
Staff Captain at the
War Office on 6 April 1918. He formally transferred from the Engineers to the newly established
Royal Corps of Signals on 22 March 1921, and since taking up the post of Staff Captain, had been appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire. On 1 April 1921 Rawson was promoted from Staff Captain to
Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, still at the War Office, holding the post until 29 January 1923. By 1928 he was substantive lieutenant-colonel and commanded a signals regiment for four years until 15 May 1932, when he was promoted to
colonel and placed on the half pay list. On 5 December 1932 he was appointed chief instructor at the School of Signals, holding the post until 5 December 1936. On 30 June 1937 he was appointed deputy director of the signals department at the War Office, and was granted the temporary rank of
brigadier; he became director, with the acting rank of major-general, on 3 January 1941. He held the additional honorary appointment of
Aide-de-camp to
King George VI between 1 August 1938 and April 1941, vacating the appointment when his acting rank of major-general was made substantive. The promotion was back-dated to 14 January 1941, with seniority from 14 June 1938. He was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath in the
1941 King's Birthday Honours. He retired on 2 December 1944, and was appointed
Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Signals on 31 December 1944, holding the role until 18 September 1950. ==Cricket career==