A/Corporal 7701 Othello DYKE

South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project

The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One

A/Corporal 7701 Othello DYKE - 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Killed in Action on Thursday 12th October 1916 aged 35

Military History


Theatre of War	Medals	Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial
France and Flanders	1914 Star & Clasp, British War & Victory Medals	Thiepval Anglo-French Cemetery

Arrived in Theatre	Medal Citation (if app)	SWFHS Area Memorials
4 Oct 1914 in France	~	Dunchurch

Action, Battle or Other Reason Killed	Date and Place Enlisted
Battle of the Somme	1901 in Warwick

Place of Death	Previous Regiments or Units	Other War Memorials
Les Boeufs	~	~

Circumstances of Death

Othello is listed as being killed in action on 12 Oct 1916. The 1st Battalion war diary entry for that day refers to Appendix I - Report of Operations which is transcribed below along with a newpaper article from the Rugby Advertiser.

Report on Operations

Trenches - Les Boeufs - Diary of Operations 12 -10-16
G.N.B Forster, Lieut Colonel, Commanding 1st Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment

2.05pm	Creeping barrage opened and Battalion doubled forward out of trenches in 4 waves - 2 Coys on 2 Platoon frontage in line and 2 Coys on 2 Platoon frontage in support. Battalion HQ about T.9.b.4.4
2.15pm	It appeared from T.9.b.4.4 that a barrage was put up by the Germans in the line Les Boeufs - Morval
2.40pm	M.G. Officer reported barrarge excellent and Germans running back. Companies going well
2.55pm	Report came in from C.C. D Coy that the left of my left Coy hung up by the strong point. The right of the Royal Irish Fusilers failing to get forward. Sent an order to O.C. D Coys left to call on Support Company to help them and try and turn the flank of the Gun Pits from direction T.5.a.5.0
3.05pm	From Batt O.P. received following: 12th Brigade appear to have got well forward owing to ground cannot see our troops. Germans get a heavy barrage up in front of Les Boeufs and Huns still sending up white rockets from here.
3.10pm	Two wounded German prisoners came in, one of 82nd Regt & 164th Regt.
3.20pm	10th Infantry Brigade reported that news received Hazy Trench held by our troops.
3.30pm	Sent out two runners to our front line trenches to obtain information. At 3.55pm they reported that they could only get to Sunken Road. Heavy Machine Gun fire from E of Les Boeufs direction and German barrage on Shamrock.
4.0pm	News from French - Right reported reached 2nd Objective, no news from the left
4.05pm	Message from French - No news of our Regiment, all wires broken. From our O.P. we saw the English troops on our left going out of their trenches very quickly, we know that the English have passed their first objective. We have seen a German Obseravation Post surrundering.
4.30pm	O.C. A Coy (Right Support Coy) reports about 50 of A & C Coys dug in about T.5.t.4.9 towards gun pits. Not in touch with French and cannot see anybody on our left. At present German strong point and gun pits still held by Germans
4.57pm	O.C. Royal Irish Fusiliers reports 2 platoons of his right Support Coy in Shamrock Trench with no officers and only one NCO, also about one Coy of Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
5.35pm	Royal Irish Fusiliers report his right Support Coy and our left company are in Burnaby Trench and are trying to re-organise. One company Royal Dublin Fusiliers in Foggy Trench.
6.00pm	R.A. Liason Officer reports that F.O.O, reports counter attack coming from direction of T.5 Central and N.35 Central. No news received from front line area.
6.05pm	Royal Dublin Fusiliers report have sent one Company up to Fluff Trench
6.08pm	Sent message to O.C. Front Line to hang on for all they are worth. One Coy Royal Dublin Fusiliers now coming in support to Fluffy Trench
6.10pm	F.O.O. reports that Counterattack from T.5 Central at present failed.
6.45pm	A runner of D Coy came in wounded and said O.C. A Coy had sent him with a message to say O.C. A Coy with some of D and some of C were digging in about 900 yards in front of our present line and the French were on the right. No written message came and he said he left just before dark and that he passed through our front line which has some Royal Dublin Fusiliers in it. The man was a bit shaken and I don't think this information is very reliable.
7.35pm	Received message from Captain Irvine same as reported by Royal Irish Fusiliers at 5.35pm
7.55pm	Sent up an officer with orders to Senior Officer in Front Line to re-organise and consolidate at onvce and send out patrols to ascertain if any British out in front and also to warn him an aeroplane was coming in the morning to try and locate position of troops.

Rugby Advertiser Article

Personal & Family History

Birth Date/Place	Baptism Date/Place
18 May 1882 in Stratford on Avon	13 Sep 1890 in Smethwick

Parents Names	Abode
George McGregor and Martha Dyke	Both deceased (1881 & 1892 respectively)

Schools	Colleges
	~

Address History	Employment History
1882 - Stratford on Avon	1891 - Scholar
1891 - 18 Meer Street, Stratford on Avon	1901 - Soldier in Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1901 - Budbrooke Barracks, Warwick	1901 - Soldier in Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1911 - Whittington Barracks, Lichfield	1914 - Soldier in Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1914 - 123 Catherine's Cross, Darleston

Connections to Dunchurch:

Othello's sister, Gertrude Barrett lived at Bilton Grange, Dunchurch (Rugby Advertiser)
Before 1901 Othello was in service at Bilton Grange (Rugby Advertiser)
By age 10 Othello was an orphan following the death of his mother in 1892, his father having died in 1881
We have not found a birth record for Othello but the 1891 census shows an Arthur Dyke born 1882 and we presume that Arthur is Othello
The name Arthur is supported by two Army Medal Records which list him as A Dyke

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