Stephen Cyril Dimes

  General Notes:

Educated at Highgate.
1910 Census living in Amersham, Bucks. Builder Joiner Assistant.
WW1 Stephen joined the royal engineers as a Sapper in 1915 and went to France in 1916 with the 5th Field Regiment, Royal Engineers.
In 1917 he was badly injured, suffering wounds to the chest and abdomen, left knee, right thigh and left hand. He was sent back to Britain to the Beaufort War Hospital from 23 Nov 1917 to 12 Feb 1918.
An extract from the Inquest into Stephen's suicide ..
SOLDIERS SUICIDE, a victim of war strain. The circumstances attending the death of Stephen Cyril Dimes, aged 36 years, a Sapper in the Royal Engineers, were investigated by the County Corinor (Mr. C. B. Harris) at an enquiry held at the Holy Trinity Schools on Monday evening. Mr. George A. V. Connolly, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the S.E.& C. Railway Company. Charles WIlliam Dimes, brother of the deceased, gave evidence of identification *** that in civilian life the deceased soldier assisted his father, a *** in South Devon. He joined the army in November 1915, and he had been wounded by a shell in France. It appeared that the deceased had not been in good health lately. His wife had been anxious about him and had written several times recently without a reply. In one of his letters the words 'Why don't you write to me ?" were used. Witness added that his brother had had no serious troubles, and his relations with his wife were the happiest.
Sapper William Barnacle, Royal Engineers, stated that he had known the deceased for seven weeks and recently he had appeared very downhearted. Witness last say him alive at 5:30pm on Thursday, when he went for a walk, asking witness to take his fatigue for him. Deceased was due at the great Line Barracks at 9:30 for roll call, but he did not appear, and witness could find no trace of him next morning. He had never threatened to take his life. A YMVA envelope was produced showing that on either Thursday or Friday the deceased had commenced to write to his wife, but had only got as far as the address. Two blank sheets of notepaper were beside the envelope. P.S. Lewis deposed that in consequence of a telephone message on Saturday morning, he proceeded to the Gillingham railway station and together with an inspector and a foreman, searched the line through to the Gillingham Tunnel. About 30 yards from the mouth of the tunnel on the Chatham side a body was found lying on the up-line. The right leg was discovered about 12 yards from the tunnel. A wrist watch picked up had stopped at 7:50. In the witness opinion, the deceased had been lying there for some considerable time. Witness added that there were several letters found in the deceased's pockets. No trace of the man had been found from Thursday (through) Saturday when the body was discovered. *** Is there a footpath or crossing near the spot ? No, sir.
*** George Arthur Skinner R.A.M.C. said that he had examined the body, there were a number of abrasions on the thighs. The right leg had been *** inches below the knee joint, the left leg was severed below the *** and there were very extensive injuries to the head. Death was *** followed by haemorrhage. The jury of whom Councillor T. *** temporary insanity", and added as a rider "probably due to ***" .
1919 D'Abbadie D'Arrash-Gyton. England and Wales Probate Calendar. Stephen's papers were one of three sets of documents from WW1 that survived for the Dimes family, following bombings in WW2 of the repository.
Stephen Syril Dimes of the Bungalow, Blackawton, Devonshire dies 13 April 1918 at Gillingham, Kent. Probate London 4 March to Winnifred Mary Dimes widow and Charles William Dimes civil engineer. Effects 1103 pounds 10s and 2d.

Stephen married Winifred Mary Cooke on 24 Aug 1911 in Shobrooke, Devon. (Winifred Mary Cooke died in 1963.)