18 April 1915: Pte. Edward Dimmock | The Western Front Association

Edward Dimmock was killed in action on this day in 1915.

Born Greenwich 8 October 1877, Edward's parents were Jonathan (a general labourer) and Sophie (née Mann)

Edward, the youngest of 4 children, lived in Greenwich at 8 Wood Wharf, with his parents and parental grandmother. In 1891, now age 14, Edward was working as a general labourer.

He was educated in Greenwich. After school he became a stevedore, unloading and loading boats at the dock.

*Above: Working cargo, Queen’s Wharf, 1893 (Illustrated Australian News 1 September 1893)*

Edward joined the West Kent Militia in 1893 and served for 18 months in Malta.

In May 1902 he married Sarah (née wood). They had no children. The following year, in May 1903 he obtained his discharge.

Dimmock re-enlisted joining the Queen’s Own (Royal West Regiment) on 15 September 1914. By 7 December he was in France. His war was to be a short one, as his battalion was one of those that took part in an expensive attack on Hill 60 in April 1915.

*Above: Edward's Medal Index Card showing his arrival in France on 7 December 1914*

The battalion's war diary (WO 95/1553) gives a lot of detail about the attack on Hill 60 which took place on the evening of 17 April 1915, it also provides three excellent sketches of the dispositions and trenches around Hill 60.

Above: The Battalion war diary describes this as a "Rough Diagram showing the trenches taken over by the battalion and Hill 60 preparatory to the storming of the German trenches on the evening of the 17th"

*Above: The battalion war diary describes this as a "Rough sketch showing position of German Trenches on Hill 60, also where craters were expected to be made by the explosion of the mines"*

*Above: Although uncaptioned in the war diary, the notes indicate this shows 'new' and 'old' trenches as a result of the attack.*

Whilst we must assume he was involved in the attack on 17 April, he is officially deemed to have been killed on 18 April 1915, which is the date recorded on his Pension Record Card (below) and by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Edward was 38 years of age.

Edward has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres.

Pte. Edward Dimmock 848 The Queen’s Own (Royal West Regiment) 18 April 1915

Sources: De Ruvigny’s Vol. iii; Battalion War Diary; Fold3 WFA Pension Records; 1881 and 1891 Census Returns; 1939 Register.