Worthing Gazette 26th January 1916
"Local School Master's Death"
Some Incidents of a Varied and Interesting Career.
A large circle of friends will learn with sincere regret of the death, after an illness of very brief duration, of a well known member of the teaching profession. This is Mr William Dicks, a member of the staff of Sussex Road School who was engaged in the discharge of his duties as recently as Tuesday of last week. For some time past he had been aware of the fact that his heart was somewhat weak, and whilst he was exercising some boys under his control, it is feared that he imposed too severe a strain upon his physical resources. he took to his bed on Thursday and it was understood that he was then suffering from billiary colic.
It was believed that a day or so later, he was somewhat better but he passed away at his home "Kirn" Harrow Road, Worthing at a quarter past two on Sunday afternoon from valvular disease of the heart. Mr Dicks who was forty-eight years of age leaves a widow (daughter of the late Mr F Bone) and two sons and a daughter, one of the former being in the Fourth Sussex now at Colchester. The funeral is to take place tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon at Heene.
Mr Dicks who was one of a family of eight, was born on the 13th December 1867 in a little hamlet called Stewley, Somersetshire. His father kept a wayside smithy. The family afterwards lived at Taunton and later at Maindee a suburb of Newport, Monmouthshire. Mr Dicks who gained a free scholarship, tenable for three years, began the serious business of life as a solicitor's clerk, then tried lithographic printing for a week, afterwards became a plumber, went for a time into his father's workshop, and subsequently went back to the Printing Office to learn the general printing and compositing.
After further experience in his father's workshop, he determined to go to Liverpool to try to get to America. Accompanied by a friend, he played the violin in the streets of Gloucester and Cheltenham whilst his companion collected the money. Arrived at Crewe, they altered their minds and returned to Newport where Mr Dicks obtained a post in the Goods Office of the Great Western Railway. After another spell with his father, he entered the teaching profession.
Some twenty-six years ago, Mr Dicks arrived in Worthing being first engaged at Christ Church School and subsequently when he returned to the town about thirteen years ago, the Sussex Road School. During his residence here, Mr Dicks, who was a man of keen intelligence has acted as an instructor of the shorthand classes, and he was also an official of the local branch of the National Union of teachers.