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Private George Dickinson (some records list him as Dickenson) of The Queens Own( Royal West Kent’s) was originally reported as missing in action but was eventually confirmed as being killed in action on 13th July 1916.
His obituary notice appeared in the Blackburn times of 14th July 1917. The notice said he was one of the early volunteers who joined Kitchener’s army and had been at the front for 15 months prior to being reported missing in July 1916.
Private Dickinson was a single man aged 24 who lived with his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Dickinson at 14 Byrom-street, Blackburn. He was one of twelve children born to Mr and Mrs Dickinson. George was born on 16th April 1893 and was baptised on 21st May 1893 at St. Peters Church, Blackburn.
Before enlisting he was employed at Robinson’s dye works in Canterbury-street, Blackburn. His obituary notice said he attended Blackburn ragged school in Bent-street. At the time of his death he had two brothers in the army, one in German East Africa, the other in Mesopotamia.
The memorial plaque from Blackburn Ragged School for past members who were killed in the war is now mounted on the wall in the reception area of the carers’ service in Greenhurst-close, Blackburn. George is listed on the plaque as George Dickenson.
Private Dickinson was in all probability killed in the battle for trones wood. The extract below is an abridged version from C.T. Atkinson’s book: The Queens Own Royal West Kent regiment 1914-1919.
When, on the evening 0f July 12th, the 18th Division took over the right of the British line considerable progress had been made in clearing the immediate area between the first and second German systems. As a preliminary to the great attack planned for 14th July it was highly desirable that Trones Wood should be completely cleared and accordingly orders were issued for the battalion to push through the wood from South to North, the 7th to attack its northern end and the buffs to seize a strong point at the south east corner where Maltzhorn trench joined the Guillemont-road.
It was a difficult task, the lie of the land and the conditions prevailing in that quarter of the battlefield where heavy fighting had been in progress for several days, were all against the attackers. The wood had been badly shot up and was a maze of shallow trenches, strong points and shattered trees.
Orders were received very late and there was scant time to prepare for the advance. The attack was launched at 7pm on July 13th after three hours bombardment. It was delivered in the face of a most effective German barrage which inflicted heavy casualties on the support companies as they crossed the open ground.
However the battalion made good progress and by 7.30pm part of B Company reached the southern branch of the light railway which runs through the wood only to find that the Germans had got between them and their starting point and had retaken a strong point in the interior of the wood. B Company with some detachments of A and C Companies dug in along the railway and maintained themselves throughout the night, unsupported and under constant attack.
Meanwhile little had been heard from C Company which had attacked on B Company’s right. Captain Anstruther made his way to the middle of the wood where he found 150 men of A, B, and C companies all mixed up and scattered about. He re-organised these men, posting about 100 with 6 Lewis guns along the eastern edge of the wood and pushed further north with the rest to make contact with the very few of the Queens who had managed to reach the wood in face of heavy shelling and machine gun fire.
About midnight the situation was that some 250 of The Royal West Kent’s and a few of the 7th Queens were established in Trones Wood north of the railway. These were cut off from support by the Germans who had reoccupied the portion south of the railway. The situation was precarious but the group in the woods held their ground, captain Anstruther reporting he was beating off all the German attacks. However the attacks increased in force and ammunition began to fail. About 6am just when the Germans were threatening to recover the woods an attack by the 12th Middlesex and 6th Northampton’s made contact with captain anstruther and cleared the Germans from the woods. The casualties totalled nearly 250, 34 dead, 23 missing and 179 wounded.
George Dickinson has no known grave and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing on the Somme, Pier and Face 11C.
John Dixon
2nd East Lancashire Regiment, 23096
John Dixon, born 1889 in Blackburn, was the son of William Dixon of Back Union-street. William was a tailor by trade, something that John, his eldest son, would soon start to practice in.
John had two brothers, William, an Apprentice Joiner, and William Fielding, a grocer’s assistant. He also had a sister, Florence. The family were wealthy enough to have a servant, Elizabeth Armstrong. As with so many love stories, Elizabeth fell in love with John, and the pair got married in 1913.
After war broke out, John did not instantly go to war, instead waiting to be conscripted in 1916. He joined the 2nd East Lancashire Regiment in March 1916, and was sent to the front line in September 1916.
By this stage, the 2nd East Lancashire Regiment, as part of 8th Division, had gone through the Somme campaign and was in desperate need of replacements. Their losses, like most Battalions, were heavy. By October, the Battalion was sent to Le Transloy, to remove the Germans from the ridge there. The weather had started to turn foul and was causing a lot of problems, with the rain making the area exceptionally muddy.
“On the night of the 18th/19th October the 8th Division relieved the 6th Division, with all three brigades on the line, Les Bceufs-Guedecourt. This relief was preparatory to an attack to be made by the XIV Corps, in conjunction with a French Corps on its right, with the object of establishing a line from which the German position known as the Transloy ridges could be attacked from the south-west.
The first objective of the battalion was "Mild" trench, from the 8th Division left boundary to the junction of "Cloudy" and "Sunray" trenches, where the existence of a "strong point" was suspected. This, thought to be a detached post, was afterwards found to be part of the main trench.
Neither the Division on the left of the battalion, nor the 2nd Northants on the right were to attack, but the latter was ordered to assist the right flank of the 2nd East Lancashire Regiment as much as possible, and with this object the greater number of the machine-guns of the brigade were attached
to the 2nd Northants.
Zero hour was fixed for 11.30 a.m., but four minutes before that time a liaison officer from Brigade Headquarters arrived at Battalion Headquarters with orders to postpone the attack until 2.30 p.m. This was the second occasion within four months that zero had been postponed and postponed so late that the information did not reach those principally concerned—the men in the trenches—until after the original zero hour.
The adjutant of the battalion (Lieutenant W. E. Lowe), who was a noted sprinter, did record time to the trenches, but would have been too late to avert a catastrophe if an artillery observing officer in the front trenches had not got information of the change of time, and passed it on to the company commanders just in time to stop the advance. As it was the heavy artillery began to shell the enemy trenches at 11.30 a.m., and unfortunately included "Rainbow" trench in their targets. The result was several casualties at Battalion Headquarters, and considerable damage to the trench and its only dug-out. The attack commenced at 2.30 p.m. under a moving barrage, with a fixed barrage on the objective. "A" and "D" Companies attacked in two waves with such dash that the first wave carried the first trench in one bound and captured the whole of the first objective, except the strong point already mentioned. The second wave passed through the first and over a low crest, where it came under very hot fire and suffered heavy casualties, which included all the officers, except one, killed or wounded; it was therefore withdrawn to "Mild" trench. During the afternoon a block was built at the junction of "Mild" and "Stormy" trenches, and another close to the German strong point ; these were attacked by the enemy, who were easily repulsed, largely by the use of their own bombs, which had been found in large numbers in the captured trench. "A" and "D" Companies were relieved about 5 p.m., by "B" and "C" Companies, and a company from the brigade reserve was sent up to "Shine" trench.
On the two following days and nights the captured trench was consolidated, and communication trenches were dug from "Mild" to "Shine" trench, and from "Rainbow" trench to the sunken road. All this work was carried out under great difficulties, due to very bad weather, enemy artillery fire, and the shortage of rations.”
It was in this battle, on 23rd October, that John Dixon was killed. His body was never found. He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing on the Somme, Pier and Face 6 C.
Private John Dyer
1st East Lancashire Regiment, 25127
Private John Dyer was killed on 18th October 1916.
He was a single man aged 28. He was the son of mark and Mary Dyer of 53 Earl-street, Blackburn and was one of 8 children. The 1911 census showed him as being employed as a driver for a coal merchant.
He is also listed on the roll of honour for the parish of st.albans. The plaque is in St. Albans Church, Larkhill, Blackburn.
Private Dyer was a member of the 1st battalion, East Lancashire Regiment and was killed during the battle of Le Transloy.
The following extract is from the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
“The failure to secure original battle objectives led to a renewed major assault on the afternoon of 12th October when infantry on 4th army’s right foundered towards German trench lines in front of Le Transloy while formations on the left slogged towards the Butte de Warlencourt. Despite the slightest of gains the operation was not successful.
Orders for a fresh attack, issued late on 13th October ignored the desperate conditions and physical state of the attacking troops. The subsequent early morning assault on 18th October (well before daylight) witnessed heroic efforts but minimal gains were made against resolute defenders well supported by accurate artillery fire.
The inauspicious beginnings of the 18th October attack were described with grim and brutal reality by the official historian:
In almost every brigade, forming-up positions had been taped out in front and careful compass bearings taken of the direction of the advance. When the moment of the assault arrived the British front positions and the approaches thereto were a maze of water-logged shell-holes and flooded trenches. As the troops struggled forward through the darkness (the moon being obscured by heavy rain clouds) officers and men stumbled and fell in the slippery ooze; rifles and lewis guns became clogged with it so that bomb and bayonet were soon the only weapons." 'Military operations France and Belgium, 1916 (vol. ii), Captain Wilfrid Miles, 1938 (p.444).
The Lancashire Infantry Museum website has the following description:
On the 18th October the 1st East Lancashire’s, who had only recently returned to the Somme, attacked at Le Transloy through “a vast lake of mud, pitted with shell-holes”, losing all the officers, warrant officers and senior NCO’s of the assaulting companies and a total of 362 other ranks
John Dyer has no known grave and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the missing on the Somme, Pier and Face 6C.