The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. J H Dickinson

John Holt Dickinson was born on 1st March 1919 at 4 Lightbourne Avenue in Bolton.

His parents were Norman Dickinson (1889-1933) and Mary Dickinson (nee Holt 1892-1984).

His father saw active service with the 5th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I, rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Engineers by the end of the conflict.

Norman married on his return to England in January 1918.

In 1920, Norman re-joined his father’s building firm where he had worked as a clerk before the outbreak of WW1. However, he soon moved the family to Southport where he practiced as an accountant. They lived at 1 Haigh Avenue, the same road as Mollie’s father.

In 1928 John attended King George V Grammar School in Southport where he was placed in Spencer house. He remained there until 1932.

On 31st May 1929 Norman left his family behind to set sail for Canada on the Duchess of Bedford with the intention of setting up a new life for them there. However, he failed to find what he was looking for and returned to the Southport home in May 1930.

Their year apart may not have worked out as they hoped as Norman moved to London where he found employment as a commercial clerk. Tragedy struck the family in May 1933 when Norman was knocked down and killed by a motor car in Balham, Surrey. Mollie was living in Norwich at the time of her husband’s death.

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John had started a career as an electrical engineer but enlisted in the RAFVR on 20th November 1937 as an Airman u/t Pilot. He was called up on 2nd September 1939.

Between then and May 1940, he passed through No. 3 Initial Training Wing and No. 8 Flying Training School before being posted to No. 6 Operational Training Unit at Sutton Bridge on 27th May 1940.

He converted to Hurricanes and was posted to 253 Squadron at Kirton-in-Lindsey on 8th June. On 21st July the squadron moved to Turnhouse and on 23rd August it moved again to Prestwick.

Then, on 29th August, the squadron, consisting of flying personnel, aircraft and 32 ground personnel, relocated to Kenley to relieve 615 Squadron.

John’s flying consisted of night training and patrols until 30th August when he scrambled Hurricane F.2946* to intercept some enemy aircraft. He engaged several Me109s but was forced to bale out. He was dead on landing. His body bore bullet wounds, inflicted deliberately or otherwise by the Messerschmitts.

His Hurricane came down at Plurenden Manor Farm, High Halden. It is believed that he was killed by Fw. Kock of II/JG26.

*The squadron’s Operations Record Book states John was flying Hurricane F2946 when he bailed out whilst other documents state he was flying Hurricane P3213.

It was a grievous day for the squadron (below).

Dickinson was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 6th September 1940 but his ashes were interred in the same grave as his father’s at St. Mary’s churchyard, Egton cum Newland, Cumbria. John had been named after his paternal grandfather whose family roots were in Egton.

The manner of his death was particularly upsetting to his squadron and was given a paragraph in Squadron Leader Tom Gleave’s 1941 book “I Had a Row With a German” and mentioned in Pilot Officer John Greenwood’s 2021 memoir, “One of Churchill’s Own”.

John’s mother, Mollie, eventually returned to Southport where she lived out the rest of her life, passing away in 1984 at the age of 92. She never remarried.

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John had two cousins on his mother’s side of his family who both served in the RAF during WWII.

Flying Officer James Holt Siddell was killed whilst flying in Mosquito VI HR362 of 613 Squadron on 9th October 1944 which failed to return from a night intruder sortie to Holt.

It crashed in Voorthuizen, west of Apeldoorn in Holland at 2330, apparently due to having struck a tree or power cables. He is buried in Barneveld (Voorthuizen) General Cemetery.

S/Ldr. DM Wellings was also killed and lies there too.

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Flying Officer Henry Holt Siddell flew with 59 Squadron and was taken prisoner by the Japanese after the fall of Java. He was caught attempting to steal an aircraft from Batavia airfield to effect an escape and was summarily executed aged 23 by his captors on 12th April 1942.

He lies in Jakarta War Cemetery.

All data courtesy of Adrian Cork of themerseysidefew.com

Above image courtesy of Glenn Gelder.