These were worn by Mr Whiteman, Marjorie Burton's father, when he sang in the church choir. Marjorie Burton ( nee Whiteman), born 12 June, in Birmingham, England came to Orbost in 1995. She came from a middle-class, working, church-going family. The invention of the dickey was to make the front of a full dress shirt a separate entity in itself, like the detachable collar, so it could be laundered and starched more easily than a traditional shirt with the front attached.Cloth dickeys simulated many different styles and were often often used in marching band or choir uniforms. However they are rarely worn now. These items are examples of a menswear accessory commonly used in the first half of the 20th century. Two silk white dickeys, men' shirt fronts. 2483.29 has tapes with press studs ant the top and bottom and 2 button holes. 2483.30 has 3 button holes and is a double thickness. Both have pleats.men's-clothing accessories shirt-fronts-dickeys burton-marjorie