Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
William Dickinson born 1895 at Felling, Gateshead, the only son of Anthony Dickinson and Annie Wilson, natives of Felling born 1866. They married in 1892 in the district of Gateshead and also had a daughter Maria (also listed as Marian) born 1893.
Anthony Dickinson died in the district of Gateshead in 1899, aged 32 years, leaving his widow with two very young children aged 6 and 4. In 1901 Annie and her children were living at 23 Heworth Street, Felling along with her two unmarried sisters Margaret Jane a florist and Hannah Wilson a dressmaker. An addition supplement to the income of the household were three engine fitters who boarded at the house, Thomas Hirst, George Burnett and Joseph Hargreaves, all in their early twenties. By 1911 William was 16 and working as a barber, his mother was a char woman, sister Maria a packer and his aunt Hannah worked as a printer, they were still at the same address.
On the outbreak of war William Dickinson enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, November 26th 1914 assigned as Private 141, 23rd Battalion, 4th Tyneside Scottish Northumberland Fusiliers. Initially training in Newcastle the battalion moved to Alnwick camp, in the grounds of Alnwick Castle in early May 1915. They joined the 102nd Brigade, 34th Division who were concentrating at Ripon in Yorkshire in mid 1915, and in late August they were taken over by the War Office and moved to Salisbury Plain to begin final training. They departed to France in January 1916, concentrating at La Crosse, east of St Omer and were in action July 1st 1916 at the Battle of the Somme attacking just south of the village of La Boisselle, not far from Albert.
Private 141 William Dickinson went missing during the battle and is deemed to have died, “on or since”, July 1st 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,246 names inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France, pier and face 10/11/12B, which commemorates servicemen from Great Britain and South Africa who died on the Somme 1915-1918 and who have no known grave. Private Dickinson was 21 years old and single
His mother Annie received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 23, Heworth Street, Felling, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
William Dickinson is remembered at Heworth on H92.03
