Herbert Matthew Dickson
| Herbert Matthew Dickson | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Gaffer, Gad |
| Died | 20 June 1967 |
| Education | Natural sciences, Fitzwilliam Hall, Cambridge |
| Roles | Senior Science Master; Senior Master from 1949, and later Deputy head; Acting headmaster (1954) |
| Years at BGS | 1927-1962 |
| Departments | Science |
| Notable work(s) | Air Training Corps; received an MBE in 1962 |
| Home town | Swindon (Wiltshire) |
| Children | John Lewis Dickson |
Herbert Matthew Dickson was a teacher of science at Boston Grammar School (1927-62).
Dickson was brought up in Swindon. He came to BGS as a science teacher in 1927 with an honours degree in natural sciences from Fitzwilliam Hall, Cambridge and after a spell lecturing at Woolwich Polytechnic. Dickson was acting headmaster for a while, when Leslie Thomas Waddams left in 1954. In 1962 he was awarded the MBE and he also left BGS in that year.
He was a founder governor and Chairman of Pilgrim College a member of Boston Preservation Trust, Secretary of the Caledonian Society of Holland, a member of the Civil Defence Corps and formed the CCF:BGS Air Training Corps.
Upon his retirement, the annual Dickson Science Prize was instituted by the Old Bostonian Association in his honour.
Edwin Killick (BGS 1955-1962) remembers...
...the time we bought Gaffer ("Gad") Dickson a parcel of candles after he had complained about the poor lighting in the Boston area. We were reprimanded for it by our form-master, "Laddy" Lockwood, but Gaffer saw the funny side and actually apologised to us for Laddy's actions afterwards. I remember Gaffer`s habit of picking the warts on the back of his hand.