Person:William Dimmock (1)

William Maynard Dimmock was born in 1876 at Codicote in Hertfordshire, son of Sarah Dimmock, formerly Uncle, and her husband William Maynard Dimmock, a photographer. The family did not stay in Codicote after young William's birth, and by early 1878 they had moved to London, where he was baptised at St John's church in Walworth in February 1878 alongside his sister Esther. The 1881 census finds the family living at 29½ Little Thomas Street in Lambeth.

The family left London and returned to Hertfordshire in the mid 1880s, living for a time at Standon before moving again to the market town of Hitchin to the north of the county in the late 1880s. The 1891 census finds the family living at 4 Wratten Road in Hitchin. Young William was working as a photographer's assistant at this time, presumably helping his father's business.

In December 1900, aged 24, William married Julia Moles. She lived in the Blackhorse Lane area, which straddled the boundary between Hitchin and the neighbouring parish of St Ippolyts. The 1901 census finds William and Julia living at Osier Bed Cottage, which was on the south side of Blackhorse Lane and therefore in St Ippolyts parish, along with Julia's mother, brother and niece. Two of William's younger brothers were also staying with the Moles family at Osier Bed Cottage on census night. William's brother Henry had carried on the family business and was working as a photographer, but William had left that trade and was working as a bricklayer.

William and Julia had a daughter called Fanny Elizabeth later in 1901, then a daughter called Maud Milicent in 1905.

In 1907 William's younger sister Emily was murdered at Camden Town in London. The case was never solved; the only person tried for the crime was acquitted.

William and Julia went on to have one more daughter, Minnie Lilian, in 1909. The 1911 census finds William, Julia and their three daughters living at 3 Blackhorse Lane, which was on the north side of the road and therefore back in the parish of Hitchin. Julia's mother lived next door at number 5.

In October 1915, just over a year after the outbreak of the First World War, William volunteered for the army. He was 39 at the time. He was posted to France in April 1916, but was severely injured at Ypres in Belgium about a month later and was invalided home. He was taken to the War Hospital at Thorpe, just outside Norwich, which had been the Norfolk County Asylum until requisitioned for military use in 1915.

William died there on 27th April 1917, aged 40. He was buried back at Hitchin and his name is included on the town's war memorial. Julia survived him by over forty years but never remarried.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. William Maynard DIMMOCK, September Quarter 1876, Hitchin Registration District, Volume 3a, page 352, mother's maiden name Uncle

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Parish Records of St John, Walworth (London Metropolitan Archives / ancestry.co.uk).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of St John's, Walworth in the County of Surrey in the year One thousand eight hundred and seventy eight
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   253	1878 Feb[rauary] 13th	William Maynard	William Maynard & Sarah	Dimmock	68 Chatham St[reet]	Tradesman	Geo[rge] Nugee

   Baptised same day as sister Esther Elizabeth.

3. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 588; Folio 51; Page 8, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 29½ Little Thomas Street, Lambeth, London
   William Dimmock, head, married, male, 34 [1846/7], Photograph Artist (ER), b. Bermondsey, Surrey
   Sarah Dimmock, wife, female, 39 [1841/2], b. Gt Hadham, Hertfordshire
   Rosa Dimmock, daughter, female, 6 [1874/5], Scholar, b. Gt Hadham, Hertfordshire
   Wilm. Maynard Dimmock, son, male, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Codicote, Hertfordshire
   Esther Elizabeth Dimmock, daughter, female, 3 [1877/8], b. Walworth, Surrey
   Henry John Dimmock, son, male, 1 [1879/80], b. Lambeth, Surrey

4. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 1107; Folio 69; Page 24, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 4 Wratten Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   William Dimmock, head, married, male, 44 [1846/7], Photographer, neither employer nor employed, b. Bermondsey, Surrey
   Sarah Dimmock, wife, married, female, 40 [1850/1], b. Hadham, Hertfordshire
   Rose Dimmock, daughter, single, female, 17 [1873/4], Gen[eral] serv[an]t domestic, b. Hadham, Hertfordshire
   William Dimmock, son, single, male, 15 [1875/6], Photographers assistant, employed, b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   Henry J. Dimmock, son, male, 11 [1879/80], Scholar, b. Lambeth, Surrey
   Rebecca M. Dimmock, daughter, female, 8 [1882/3], Scholar, b. Walworth, Surrey
   Emily Dimmock, daughter, female, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Standon, Hertfordshire
   Arthur Dimmock, son, male, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Standon, Hertfordshire
   Walter Dimmock, son, male, 1 [1889/90], b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire

5. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 1300; Folio 53; Page 12, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Osier Bed Cottage, St Ippolyts, Hertfordshire
   5 or more rooms occupied
   Fanny Moles, head, widow, female, 60 [1840/1], Montly nurse, own account, b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   John Moles, son, single, male, 31 [1869/70], Rat Catcher, own account, b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   Nellie Moles, granddaughter, single, female, 10 [1890/1], b. St Ippolyts, Hertfordshire
   Julia Dimmock, daughter, married, female, 22 [1878/9], b. St Ippolyts, Hertfordshire
   William Dimmock, son in law, married, male, 24 [1876/7], Bricklayer's Labourer, worker, b. Codicote, Hertfordshire
   Henry J. Dimmock, boarder, single, male, 21 [1879/80], Photographer, own account, working at home, b. Walworth, London
   Frederick Dimmock, visitor, single, male, 7 [1893/4], b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire

6. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 7596; Schedule 214, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: 3 Black Horse Lane, Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   4 rooms occupied
   William Maynard Dimmock, head, male, 35 [1875/6], married, Labourer (General), worker, b. Codicote, Hertfordshire
   Julia Dimmock, wife, female, 32 [1878/9], married 10 years, 3 children born alive, 3 children still living, b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   Fanny Elizabeth Dimmock, daughter, female, 10 [1900/1], School, b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   Maud Milicent Dimmock, daughter, female, 5 [1905/6], b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire
   Minnie Dimmock, daughter, female, 1 [1909/10], b. Hitchin, Hertfordshire

7. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. William DIMMOCK, June Quarter 1917, Blofield Registration District, Volume 4b, page 245, aged 40 [1876/7]

8.   Herts & Cambs Reporter, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 5, 20 Sep 1907.

   HITCHIN
   The woman named Emily Elizabeth Dimmock, who was murdered last week at Camden Town, came to Hitchin as a little girl of three, went to school here, and left for Bedford early in her teens. A brother of hers still lives in the district.

9.   England, The National Roll of the Great War, 1914-1918 (ancestry.co.uk).

   DIMMOCK, W.M., Private, Essex Regiment.
   He volunteered in October 1915, and in the following April was sent to France. After only about a month's service on the Western Front he was very severely wounded in an engagement near Ypres in May 1916, and was invalided home. A year later he died from the effects of his injuries on May 27th, 1917 [sic]. He was entitled to the General Service and Victory Medals.
   3, Black Horse Lane, Sunnyside, Hitchin.
   1588

10. ↑ UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929 (ancestry.co.uk).

    Dimmock, William Maynard
    Died 27.4.17, War Hospital, Norwich
    Widow Julia

11. ↑ The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

    Casualty Details
    Name: DIMMOCK, WILLIAM MAYNARD
    Initials: W M
    Nationality: United Kingdom
    Rank: Private
    Regiment/Service: Essex Regiment
    Unit Text: 17th Bn.
    Age: 40
    Date of Death: 27/04/1917
    Service No: 400989
    Additional information: Son of William Dimmock; husband of Julia Dimmock, of 3, Black Horse Lane, Hitchin.
    Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference: NE. 515.
    Cemetery: HITCHIN CEMETERY