DICKINS, Arthur

Arthur Dickins was the son of George and Amelia Dickins. They lived at 39 and 40 Bridgnorth Road, Wollaston, which was a grocery shop. He was a keen musician who played with the “Red Orchestra” and later with the Boys' Brigade band. In the band he played the trombone, but he was also a proficient violinist and played violin solos for public performances. He enlisted in the Worcester Territorials and became a first class bandsman before being sent to France. By 1917 he was in the 4th Battalion which was closely engaged in the Third Battle of Ypres and was again ordered to the front for the battle of Cambrai in November 1917. The battalion followed up the remarkable success of the opening day on the 20th and passed through the German lines hoping to make further gains. However, the German High Command could not allow such an important breach to be made in their defences. A fierce German counter attack on the 30th November drove back the British troops and the Worcesters suffered heavy losses from enemy shelling. Private Arthur Dickins was killed on that day. He was 21 years of age and is commemorated on the Cambrai, Stourbridge and Wollaston Memorials. His name is also commemorated on his parents' grave in Stourbridge Cemetery.