No.9765, Private, Arthur Reginald DYSON
Aged 17
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Born in Thurston in 1899 (2nd qtr 4a:896) son of Charles and Eliza Sarah DYSON (née SMITH)
1901 census...Aged 1, he was "near the Station", Thurston, with his father Charles DYSON [34] foreman in coal yard, born Casdtle Hedingham; his mother Eliza [34] born Dedham; brothers Charles [12] born Ardleigh, Essex, Ernest [11] born Ardleigh, Herbert [6] born Aldeburgh on Sea, William [3] born Thurston and George [ 7 months] born Thurston; sisters Edith [10] born Ardleigh and Alice [5] born Thurston. 1911 census...Aged 11, he was at 3 Pleasant Row, Eastgate Street, Bury St.Edmunds with his parents (father now disabled); brtohers Herbert, William, and George; sisters Edith, Alice and Muriel [7]born Thurston. The pension card has his mother at 3 Mount Pleasant, Eastgate Street, Bury St.Edmunds |
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He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds. The 11th Suffolks were the battalion formed initially in Cambridge when the Bury St.Edmunds depot was unable to handle all recruiting. Taking in many men from the Fens, it was known quite often as "The Cambridgeshires", despite there being a Cambridgeshire regiment. April 28th, 4:27 am, the 11th Suffolks, the left of the 101st Brigade, attacked the chemical works at Roeux and immediately south of the railway. Soon held up, they were driven back by intense machine gun fire from a position that had been missed by our barrage. A few men did manage to get through to a quarry in the east of the works, coming back in the evening with 2 or 3 prisoners. At 9:45 am the Germans counter-attacked from the direction of Roeux, capturing Mont Pleasant wood and part of Ceylon Trench. When Major Tuck went up to see for himself the trench was back in our hands and the Germans were being driven back out of Mount Pleasant. At 10pm the battalion was withdrawn to enable our artillery to bombard the works again, which was then attacked again, again unsuccessfully. in the bitter fighting in that area during 27-30th April, the battalion sustained nearly 300 casualties.
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