He was born in Wykham Spalding to his father of the same name. In 1932 he married Ena May Garlick in Manchester.
He was publican of the Chequers Inn from 1937, but also farmed a plot of land in Weston. The Chequers was a regular venue for auctions.
In April 1941 he was fined £1 for driving his car faster than 20 miles per hour in a built up area during the blackout. It seems he switched to his bicycle, as he was fined 12/6 for riding without a rear light in Sep 1943. He had been fined in 1939 for not having a front light. Unfortunately when he got back in his car, he forgot that his licence had expired and was fined a further 10/ in Nov 1944.
In 1946 he was elected to the Rural District Council with the most votes of for the two seats available, and served on it for a number of years.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weston (Lincs) Patrol | Patrol Leader | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
Licensed victualler & farmer
In 1962, two boxes of AW Bombs were found buried in the garden of the Chequers Inn. W Readhead was digging a post hole when 10-12 inches below the surface he came across a rotting piece of wood. Removing this he found a metal sign, which when cleaned gave instructions about the bombs below. A bomb disposal unit was despatched to safely despatch them. The pub was reportedly the HQ for the village Home Guard Platoon, which might mean these did not belong to the Patrol, but to the village platoon instead. However each Patrol was issued with two boxes. By the time of the find Dillworth was no longer the licensee and the current tenant had no idea they were present.
Hancock data held at B.R.A,
TNA ref WO199/3389
1939 Register
Brian McMurray
Spalding Guardian 6 Jan 1939, 18 Apr 1941, 10 Sep 1943, 3 Nov 1944, 16 Aug 1962
Lincolnshire Free Press 13 Apr 1946