I find it interesting how many of these young men - are the sons of clergymen ! In Memory of Captain ARTHUR JAMES DINGLE 6th Bn., East Yorkshire Regiment who died age 23 on 22 August 1915 Son of Arthur Trehane Dingle and Beatrice Dingle, of Eaglescliffe Rectory, Co. Durham. Remembered with honour HELLES MEMORIAL Arthur James Dingle, more latterly known as ‘mud’ by his teammates, was born on November 5th 1991 in Hetton le Hole, County Durham . The son of the Reverend Arthur Trehane Dingle, Rector of Eaglescliff, and his wife Beatrice. The young Dingle was educated near to home, attending both Bow School as well as Durham School itself. He was soon initiated into the game of rugby union at his junior schools, both of which he turned out for as a three quarter playing either at centre or on the wing. Rugby soon became a passion that he would carry for the rest of his life. Finishing his time at school Dingle went up to Keble College , Oxford . He was selected to play for his university at the annual varsity match, gaining his blue in 1911. Held at the Queen’s Club on December 12th the emphatic nineteen points to nil victory over Cambridge was a result of the relative experience of the Oxford side over a young Cambridge, whose attempts to nullify Oxford rather than play their own game failed disastrously. Their defense had no answer to the strong Oxford backs and, as the Times put it “…. AJ Dingle settled matters by scoring between the posts.” With the outbreak of war Dingle, along with thousands of others, immediately joined up, serving with the East Yorkshire Regiment from September 1914 and eventually being posted to its sixth Battalion. Despite being in training for far more serious matter’s there was still time for rugby and on April 10th 1915 Dingle made his only appearance for the Barbarians in a match against the Royal Army Medical Corps in aid of the Red Cross Fund that was held at Old Deer Park in Richmond . Played in front of a good crowd of three thousand the Barbarians, although their usual scratch team, played with the class that their line up deserved and won by ten points to three, with Dingle scoring a try in the second half. Soon after Dingle embarked for active service with his Battalion. By now a Captain he was bound for the Mediterranean and the Dardanelles campaign. The largest battle of the Gallipoli campaign the attack failed, essentially ending any hope of an allied victory. Exactly what fate befell Arthur Dingle remains a mystery. In the aftermath of the battle he was posted as missing presumed killed. His body was never found. http://therugbyhistorysociety.co.uk/dingle.html
* Snippets ..... 1914 - A.J. Dingle England 3 caps Barbarian Arthur Dingle - a schoolmaster whose nickname was " Mud "
I missed p;osting on this man. Dingle, Arthur James (‘Mud’) played for England Internationals: 3 : 1913 I= ; 1914 S+ F+ Arthur Dingle was born on 1892, Hetton le Hole, Durham, son of Arthur Trehane Dingle and Beatrice Dingle of Durham. Played as a Centre/wing for: Bow School Durham, Durham School, Oxford University (Blue 1911), Hartlepool Rovers, Richmond, Barbarians, Durham Counties, Surrey Profession: Schoolmaster Remarks: Keble College Oxford. Returned to Durham School as a Master in 1913. He scored 55 tries in the 1913-1914 season. Played for Barbarians: v Royal Army Medical Corps (10-3) in 1915, scoring a try in that match. As well as a gifted Rugby player, he was a noted oarsman. War service: Served in the East Yorkshire Regiment from September 1914; Captain, 6th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, 32nd Brigade, 11th Division. On 8 August 1915, during the landing at Suvla Bay, the 32nd Brigade was ordered to deliver an attack on the Turkish position on Scimitar Hill as a preliminary to an advance the next day on the Tekke Tepe ridge. Under Lt Col Henry Moore [killed after capture on 9 August], the 6th East Yorkshires, captured the vital Turkish position on the Hill, but had to relinquish it when Brigade staff ordered all formations to concentrate at the Sulajik wells. Scimitar Hill was attacked again on 21 August. He was reported as missing in action on 22 August 1915, at Suvla, Gallipoli, and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey [Panel 51 to 54].
Blue' Register DINGLE, Arthur James Born 1891. At Durham College 1905-10. In School Football Fifteen 1907-10, and occasionally in Cricket Eleven 1908-09. Rowed in first Four in 1910 (the winner's of Wharton Challenge Cup at Durham), and won the Senior Gymnasium Medal the same year. Went up to Keble, Oxford, October 1910, and played in College Rugby Fifteen each season. Played twice for O.U.R.F.C. 1910-11, and v. Cambridge 1911. Address: Eaglescliffe Rectory, Co. Durham. Left hand player seated on the floor.
Andy Thanks for the photo (and the others). I wonder if any of the men photographed had any idea of what lay ahead of them? Gareth
Gareth, I always find a lot of these older pictures quite sad when you delve into the people in the picture and find out what happened to them with the war coming up. I have a photograph album of a Rifle Brigade officer, ex Eton, when you go through the pictures and know the history of the men it kind of brings it home to you in more ways than one. There is a picture of a rowing crew in the album, where the whole crew lost their lives in WW1, such a waste of unknown talent and youth. Andy
Andy I know what you mean. It's also sad when you know what happened to some men in later life. I'm thinking of an excellent DH 9 pilot who was renowned for his immaculate dress but who ended up a derelict who pawned his DFC for money to buy liquor. It's a good thinng that none of us know what's in store for us as life goes on. Cheers Gareth
One of the pictures from the photograph album. This one always struck me and made me think, so young and blissfully unaware of what was coming. I hope that this comes out OK with the resizing, an Eton leaving breakfast given by C.E. Benson, M.B. Burrows and G. Hamilton-Fletcher two years before the onset of war of which way over half of these boys were wiped out. All of the pictures in the album have name keys to them. Eton have not got any record of half the pictures in the album pertaining to the mans time at Eton, so I have agreed to give this album to Eton when I have finished with the album Andy
Arthur James had a younger brother Hugh John Dingle. He was a doctor and died at Jutland while serving on HMS Petard. Regards David
Hi David and welcome !! Looks like you have been looking for Hugh for a while !! ... a very nice site too ..... lot of work there !! http://www.tunsilk.co.uk/page84.html Annie
Andy, Great to see this photo for the first time. I have been researching Jimmy Dingle for a year now and have written a chapter of my book on him as he was also a player for Rosslyn Park. He played for Park before the OURFC took a shine to him and he won his Blue. His international caps came as a result of his try-scoring feats for Hartlepool Rover when he returned North. Afer 8500 words, I feel I know him rather well, but this photo was new to me - his centre partner Ronnie Poulton Palmer skippered that day. best wishes Stephen
Sorry...this is not about Dingle but another rugby player. Thought you might be interested. Major Blair Swannell of the 1st battalion was an early casualty. Swannell was a famous rugby union international and had twice toured Australia with the British Lions in 1899 and 1904. After the 1904 tour, the ex-Northampton number eight decided to settle in Australia and went on to represent his new country against the All Blacks in the tour to New Zealand in 1905. As a captain in the British army, he had served in the Boer War and volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force in 1914. The thirty-nine-year-old ex-British Lion and ex-Wallaby had a premonition that he would be killed: “Swannell had felt sure he would be killed, and had said so on [the transport ship] Minnewaska before he landed, for he realised he would play this game as he had played Rugby football – with his whole heart. Now, while kneeling to show his men how to take better aim at a Turk, he was shot dead.” (quote from Australian Official History Vol. I by C.E.W. Bean) (The above is an extract from my book... Major Blair Swannell was KIA, Z Beach, 25/04/1915)
If you look at the photo of the Oxford XV from 1911 above it is interesting to note that as well as Dingle, Ron Lagden, Ronnie Pouton, Billy Geen, Stephen Steyn and David Bain all played international rugby and were also all killed during the war. Geen played for Wales, Steyn and Bain for Scotland and Dingle, Poulton and Lagden for England. Lagden and Steyn were both born in South Africa. To show how random the war was, Bruno Brown, who captained England, was a Captain in the RAMC who won a Military Cross and died in 1950. Freddie Knott, who played county cricket for Kent and Sussex, lived until he was 80 and died in 1972.
