21665 Pte Richard Dockerty, 14th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment

Anyone familiar with Stourbridge, particularly the small village of Wollaston in the West Midlands, will know of a popular Irish themed music pub called ‘Katie Fitzgerald’s’. The public house lies in the dip between Wollaston and Stourbridge on the Enville Road.

Originally known as the Golden Lion, Katie Fitzgerald's was a small one-roomed beer house, property of Mary Faulkner. It was well positioned to attract travellers along the Stourbridge-Kinver turnpike road. The Duke of Wellington's Beer House Act, 1830, permitted a householder or ratepayer, on payment of two guineas to the Excise, to turn his private house into a public house. In an area then known as Mamble Square, the Golden Lion opened in competition to the Bridge Inn opposite. The first licensee was widow Mary Faulkner around 1844.

The road directly to the left of Katie’s is called ‘Mamble Road’ and this was where a certain Richard Dockerty lived with his parents when he enlisted with the 14^th Battalion of the Gloucester Regiment at the outbreak of war. He clearly did not enter a theatre of war until the early stages of 1916; hence he is only entitled to the BWM and Victory medal pair.

Sadly, Richard’s war came to an end on 23^rd July 1916 when he died as a result of wounds. He was only 20 years old. He now rests in Carnoy Military Cemetery, Somme, France. His grave reference given as H.25:

http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/29800/CARNOY%20MILITARY%20CEMETERY

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission confirms his address and next of kin as Son of Richard and Anne Dockerty of 23, Field Terrace, Mamble Road, Stourbridge. Unfortunately, I can see no evidence of his original home now, most dwellings in Mamble Road being either 3 tier council flats or houses of a much later period.

No service records exist for Richard so we cannot be certain in which action he lost his life but his MIC is an interesting one. He is originally recorded as ‘Dockerly’; this is officially crossed out and altered to his correct name. It also shows his medals were returned (most likely by his parents) on 21^st February 1922 for correction to the naming.

Along with his BWM and Victory medal pair, Robert would have been awarded the memorial plaque – its whereabouts are, at this time, unknown…