Fireman Henry Clawson served in the Merchant Navy during World War Two. He was the son of John Clawson and Henrietta Clawson (née McFall), and the husband of Margaret Clawson of 8 Fortwilliam Terrace, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim.
He died on 5th December 1940 aged 37 years old on board SS Privet. The Fisher Shipping Company of Newry, Co. Down ship was bound from Birkenhead to Belfast with a cargo of coal and a crew of 9 merchant seamen. The vessel disappeared without a trace in bad weather.
Henry Clawson has no known grave. His name is on Panel 85 of the Tower Hill Memorial, London. In August 2012, James McArevey of the Newry Maritime Association unveiled a memorial. The plaque mounted on granite stands at the Victoria Lock Gates on Carlingford Lough, outside Newry, Co. Down. It remembers the crews of SS Privet and SS Walnut.