No. 31072, Private, John Henry DICKS
Aged 36
|
Born in Lakenheath, registered Mildenhall Q1-1881 [4A:621].
1891 census...Aged 10, he was living at Farrow's Yard, High Street, Lakenheath with his father- William DICKS [34] general labourer, born Heacham, Norfolk; mother- Susan (née ROLPH) [34] born Lakenheath; brother- Plowright [6] born Lakenheath. 1901 census...Aged 20, a general farm labourer he was living still at Farrow's Yard,Lakenheath with his father, who is now recorded as a groom and born at Ditchingham, Norfolk and his mother and brother Plowright who is also a farm labourer. 1911 census...The whole family had moved to Woodcock Farm, Shipbourne, Tonbridge. His father was now a stockman on the farm and had reverted to Heacham as place of birth. He married Mabel Ada LARGE [12-3-1883] in Q4-1911 (Docking, Norfolk 4B:872) they had two daughters, Lucy Eleanor [21-6-1913] and Susan Lily May [18-12-1914] and her address at the end of the war was 7 Pulls Cottage, Heacham. His details indicate that the family had moved to Beetons Cottage, Heacham in Norfolk by the end of the war. His brother Plowright Roper DICKS, #G/1860 Private, The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment was killed on 13th July 1916 and is buried at Bernafay Wood. see here. |
|
He enlisted in Maidstone. His residence is given as Dunks Green, which is a hamlet near Shipbourne in Kent. On the 8th May 1817 during the battle of Arras the 1st East Surreys were in the line in front of Fresnoy. The first attack came at 3 am., that attack, and the next wave were beaten off but then the Germans broke through on their left and the battalion were swamped by the weight of numbers and virtually wiped out. Only one officer came out un-injured and they lost around 550. CWGC records 113 dead, of which 106 have no known grave. The Bury Free Press of 9th March 1918 reported :- ANOTHER LAKENHEATH YOUNG MAN MAKES THE GREAT SACRIFICE Sympathy is felt for Mr. and Mrs. Dix (sic) who have received the sad news that their eldest son, Prvt John Henry Dix, 1st East Kent Regiment, who was rpeorted missing May 8th 1917, is now reported as believed to have died on or about that date. He was 36 years of age, and married, and was a member of the Lakenheath Foresters Court. He makes the seventeenth member of that Court who had died at the war. Mr. and Mrs. Dix have also lost their youngest son, Prvt Plowright Dix in France. |
© Commonwealth War Graves Commission
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details