Arthur Dimmock

Arthur Frederick Dimmock MBE D.Arts (born 15 July, 1918 in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear - died 25 November, 2007, in Hayling Island, Hampshire), was an English writer on deaf matters.

Dimmock became deaf through meningitis during early childhood. After the doctor recommended that he be sent to a Mental Hospital, his mother learnt the manual alphabet to educate him before school. His mother would interpret radio show's and his favourite football matches, leading Dimmock becoming a voracious reader and helping him to acquire a command of English beyond his hearing peers aged seven, and allowing him a command of French and Latin.

In 1925 Dimmock was admitted to the Northern Counties School for the Deaf and Dumb in Newcastle. Offered a place to study fine arts at Durham University, he couldn't obtain funding and so trained as an apprentice cabinetmaker, specialising in the restoration of antique furniture. [citeweb|url=http://news.scotsman.com/obituaries/Arthur--Dimmock.3657405.jp|title=Arthur Dimmock|publisher=Scotsman|date=10 January 2008|accessdate=2008-01-22]

In 1938, he bought a one-way ticket to London and scraped a hard living doing a variety of menial jobs including selling coal, before eventually finding skilled work as a cabinetmaker. While the Second World War raged, Arthur married Jean Norman, from Ware, Hertfordshire. He was then directed to essential war work at a dock at Greenock. In 1942 Dimmock returned to London pass his London Matriculation.

After the war ended Dimmock became involved with the deaf clubs in the London area, through both writing for "The Review," a London-based deaf magazine from which he was dismissed; and sports, where he was secretary to the Croydon Deaf Club. Dimmock authored and co-authored a number of publications including: Muted Passion; Tommy: A Biography of Distinguished Deaf Royal Painter, MHGS Trivia, Fairbairn, Cruel Legacy, A. J. Wilson: Otherwise Faed, Venerable Legacy, Cochlear Implants. He had a longstanding column "Girdle Around the Earth" in British Deaf News. [cite web |url=http://www.grumpyoldeafies.com/2007/11/arthur_f_dimmock.html |title=Arthur F Dimmock|publisher=grumpyoldeafies.com |date=November 2007 |accessdate=2008-01-23] In light of his writing, August 2000 Dimmock was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts from University of Wolverhampton.

Married, he and his wife Jean had one hearing daughter, Cassandra (b. 1948). His hobbies included swimming and mountaineering.

The Memorial Service for the late Arthur F. Dimmock was be held on 29 February, 2008, at the Holy Trinity Church, Carlton Road, Redhill. [citeweb|url=http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/396189|title=Memorial Service: Arthur F. Dimmock, MBE, D.Arts|publisher=Upcoming|date=December 30, 2007|accessdate=2008-01-23] Collection monies were split between the Woodford Foundation and the British Deaf History Society. [citeweb|url=http://www.grumpyoldeafies.com/2007/12/memorial_service_for_arthur_f.html|title=Memorial Service for the late Arthur F. Dimmock, MBE, D.Arts|publisher=grumpyoldeafies.com|date=December 2007|accessdate=2008-01-23] His life was the subject of a BBC documentary as part of the "See Hear" series, shown on BBC1 16 January and repeated on 24 January, 2008. [citeweb|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008w8r4|title=Tribute to Arthur F Dimmock|accessdate=2008-01-23]

Books

*Muted Passion - the Autobiography of Arthur F. DIMMOCK Published by ISBN 0-9544678-1-7

References