dines was born in king's lynn, norfolk, where he worked as a school teacher alongside playing local football in the town. he is listed in the 1901 census as a national schools' monitor. dines later moved to the ilford/south woodford area, playing for local non-league club ilford. dines resisted attempts to become a professional, however played for liverpool, walthamstow avenue and millwall, as well as featuring for norwich city and woolwich arsenal's reserves during his time at lynn town. during the first world war, he served in the army ordnance corps, the middlesex regiment, the machine gun corps and latterly as a second-lieutenant in the king's liverpool regiment. he was killed, aged 31, in pas-de-calais on the western front, he is buried in hagnicourt.