Stanley Dickenson
“Private Stanley Dickenson of the Argyle and Sutherland Regiment, 19-year-old son of Sapper and Mrs. James Dickenson of Glen Williams, has been killed while on active service in France, according to word just received by his mother”. So reads an article published in the Toronto Telegram September 1944.
The article continues… “Enlisting in June of 1943 at Toronto, Pte. Dickenson trained at Toronto, Orillia and Camp Borden, going overseas last September. Stanley was born in England but came to Canada when three years old and had lived in Glen Williams ever since, where he went to school and later was employed at the Beaumont Woolen Mills. He was a member of St. Alban’s Church of England there. His father (James Dickenson) is also serving overseas with the Royal Canadian Engineers, stationed at Canadian Headquarters in England. Surviving, besides his parents, are three sisters and two brothers”.
Stanley died of wounds received in action on August 28, 1944, he was just 20 years of age.
Returned to his mother in Glen Williams were his personal effects consisting of 1 wallet, New Testament, Glengarry Badge, souvenir coins, pocket watch and chain, snapshots, red identity disc and a fountain pen. One can only hope that his mother felt some comfort receiving her son’s belongings back.
Following her son’s death, his mother wrote to the Department of National Defence Estates Branch “his Bank Book was in my name and he told his Father before he went, if something happened to him he wished his Brother Frederick to have that, so I will put it in his name”.
Stanley is buried in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery in Calvados, France. A cemetery in which 3,000 allied forces casualties are commemorated, most of whom are Canadian soldiers.
Stanley is commemorated on the Cenotaph at Remembrance Park, Georgetown and on the Roll of Honour at St. Alban the Martyr Anglican Church, Glen Williams.
Truly a Canadian Hero. His story lives on. *information obtained from Ancestry.ca, Veterans.gc.ca and Newspapers.com
