Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Bookch, 1915, and was killed in action in the advance at Loos, 25 Sept. 1915. A comrade (Rifleman P. W. Everett) wrote that he was killed by a shell from a trench mortar, and that he had buried him on the 26th, an officer of the 23rd Regt. reading the burial service. He had volunteered with Everett for a dangerous piece of work, and was killed while carrying it out. [Illustration: =Henry E. Dickeson.=] =DICKEY, JAMES=, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 8572), S.S. 104940, H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; _m._ =DICKINSON, RONALD FRANCIS BICKERSTETH=, Capt., 10th Battn. (The Liverpool Scottish) King's Liverpool Regt. (T.F.), 2nd _s._ of George Dickinson, of Red How, Cumberland, J.P., C.C., by his wife, Mary Florence, dau. of Edward Robert Bickersteth, of Liverpool, F.R.C.S.; _b._ 23, Abercromby Square, Liverpool, 19 Jan. 1888; educ. Rugby, and was admitted a Solicitor in 1910, and at the time of his death was a manager with Messrs. Hill, Dickinson & Co., of Liverpool. When the war broke out and his battn. was mobilised, he with the rest of his battn. volunteered for foreign service, and they went to the Front on 1 Nov. 1914. He was continuously engaged in the trenches and trench fighting from then until his death, which took place after the capture of four German trenches at Hooge on 16 June, 1915. Owing to reinforcements not coming up in time, his men were eventually partially driven back by the German counter attack, and he was left lying wounded in six places in the fourth German trench. It was believed that he died shortly after capture by the Germans. Eventually the first German line of trenches and part of the second were held, but only two officers and about 120 men of the battn. answered the roll call when they were relieved at night. He was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French's Despatch of 31 May, 1915. His Col. wrote: "He was absolutely lion-hearted, and I think all will agree that he was pre-eminent in a battn. which I am proud to say numbers many brave men in its ranks. It was my duty on many occasions during the winter months to tramp round the front line trenches at night, and invariably Ronald was to be found wherever a dirty or dangerous job had to be done." One of his men wrote: "As brave a man as ever held charge. The company idolised him; wherever there was danger he was there." Another: "We absolutely adored him. He was a leader worth following." Another said: "Time and again when any of his men were lying wounded outside the trench, he ordered his men to keep under cover while he himself ran the greatest risk in bringing the wounded in. If anyone deserved the V.C. it was Capt. Ronald Dickinson; he had won it over and over again. He was a little god to his men." [Illustration: =Ronald F. B. Dickinson.=] =DICKSON, GEORGE=, Private, No. 11295, 2nd Battn. Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.); served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; reported missing, 24 Nov. 1914, and now assumed to have been killed in action at Kemmel on or about that date. =DICKSON, GEORGE=, Private, No. 3405, 2nd Battn. Scots Guards; _b._ co. Perth; enlisted 9 May, 1900; served in South African War (medal), and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, 1914; killed in action, 18 Nov. 1914. He _m._ at Edinburgh, 21 May, 1907, Emma (48, Dundee Street, Edinburgh), dau. of (--) Johnson, and had two children: William George, _b._ 5 April, 1908; and Mary Gerrand, _b._ 30 Oct. 1909. =DICKSON, GEORGE AITKEN=, Private, No. 11295, 2nd Battn. The Royal Scots, _s._ of the late William Dickson, Carter, by his wife, Christina (13, Melburne Place, North Berwick), dau. of George Aitken; _b._ North Berwick, 11 March, 1895; educ. Public School there; enlisted 6 Nov. 1912, and is supposed to have been killed in action during the retreat from Mons. Official letters give the date as 24 Nov. 1914, though a private communication says he was killed on 26 Aug. 1914. [Illustration: =George Aitken Dickson.=] =DICKSON, JAMES=, Private, No. 2700, 2nd Battn. Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.); served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action near Ypres, 20 July, 1915. =DICKSON, JAMES STRUTHERS=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 6192), 185733, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. =DICKSON, JOHN=, Private, No. 6283, 1st Battn. Scots Guards; _b._ Musselburgh, co. Midlothian; enlisted 29 Dec. 1905, aged 18; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; reported missing, 11 Nov. 1914; _m._ at Edinburgh, 14 April, 1911, Mary Ann (16, Sandfont Street, Leith), dau. of (--) Brown. =DICKSON, THOMAS=, Driver, No. 86791, 18th Battery, 5th Field Artillery Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force, _s._ of Richard Dickson; _b._ Upper Ballinderry, co. Antrim, 26 April, 1881; educ. Village School there; served with the 83rd Battery, R.F.A., in the South African War, was invalided home after one year and ten months' service, but later went out again and served till 31 May, 1902, receiving the Queen's medal with four clasps and the King's medal with two clasps; obtained his discharge and went to Canada; acted as a Recruiting Sergt. from the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914 to 12 May, 1915, when he joined for service overseas; came over with reinforcements and died while on service in England, 13 Oct. 1915. Buried in the Military Cemetery, Shorncliffe. He _m._ at Ballinderry Parish Church, 25 Dec. 1901, Lillee (Rayanton P.O., Manitoba, Canada), dau. of Robert Cairns, late Colour-Sergt., York and Lancaster Regt. (served in Egyptian War), and had seven children: Alfred W., _b._ 3 Sept. 1903; Robert C., _b._ 7 Aug. 1905; Lewis Meighin, _b._ 16 Sept. 1911; Terance Richard, _b._ 6 March, 1913; Thomas, _b._ 18 Aug. 1914; Kathleen M. E., _b._ 21 Sept. 1906; and Beatrice McKeown, _b._ 9 March, 1908. [Illustration: =Thomas Dickson.=] =DIEHL, RALPH=, Bombardier, No. 2/1613, New Zealand Field Artillery, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 2nd but elder surv. _s._ of the late Gustav Diehl, of Wellington, by his wife, Anna Jane (7, Elizabeth Street, Wellington, New Zealand), dau. of the late John Mitchell; _b._ Oamaru, New Zealand, 9 July, 1892; educ. Wellington; was a Clerk and Bookkeeper; volunteered after the outbreak of war and enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, April, 1915; left for Egypt with the fifth reinforcements, 13 June, 1915; went to the Dardanelles, 21 Sept. 1915, and was killed in action there 23 Oct. 1915; _unm._ =DIGBY, JOHN KENELM, B.A.=, 2nd Lieut., 7th (Service) Battn. Norfolk Regt., elder _s._ of Algernon Digby, of Highfield, Fakenham, Norfolk, M.A., Solicitor [nephew of Edward St. Vincent, 9th Lord Digby], by his wife, Richenda Catharine, eldest dau. of the late Capt. Philip Hamond, 34th Regt.; _b._ Fakenham, co. Norfolk, 21 Nov. 1890; educ. Marlborough College and Hertford College, Oxford, and after taking his degree there, joined the lay staff of the Mission at Edmonton, Alberta, under the Archbishop's West |