Thomas Harold Dixon
Mr and Mrs Dixon and family
Level Crossing Cemetery Fampoux
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Harold Dixon was born 1895 at Blackhill, County Durham and baptised December 1st 1885 at the Primitive Methodist Church, Shotley Bridge. One of 13 children of whom only 12 survived he was the youngest of 6 sons and had 3 elder and 3 younger sisters.
His father Robert Dixon originated from Alston, Cumberland where he was born in 1859, at the age of 13 he was already employed as a lead miner along with his father and elder brothers. Between 1871 and 1879 he had migrated to County Durham where he was married in the district of Weardale in 1879 to Elizabeth Craig born at Stanhope in 1860. Newly married they settled at East Lane, Stanhope where Robert was employed as a limestone quarryman, by 1881 they had 2 children, 2-year-old William and 5 month old Robert Jnr. Ten years later they had moved to 59, Cutler’s Hall Road, Benfieldside near Consett, with their 7 children, Robert Snr was a fireman for a gas producer.
By 1901 the family had moved to Stratford Terrace, Consett, a town which at the time was a thriving hub of coal mines, limestone quarries and the manufacturing of iron and steel. Robert Dixon, his son William (21) and Matthew (16) were employed by the Consett Iron Company as labourers at the steel works, John (14) was an apprentice joiner, Thomas Harold was now 5 years old and at the age of 15 he too was employed by the company as a steel works junior stock-taker.
When war broke out in 1914 Thomas Harold Dixon was 19 years old, he enlisted at Consett assigned as Private 16560 attached to the 8th (Service) Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, 77th Brigade, 26th Division part of Kitchener’s 3rd Army. They were moved to Codford St. Mary, near Salisbury Plain then went into billets in November 1914 in Bristol before moving in spring 1915 to Sutton Veny. Private Dixon departed with the British Expeditionary Force September 20th 1915 bound for France, landing at Boulogne.
The 8th Battalion in November 1915 was moved to Salonika where it remained for the duration of the war, however, Private Dixon was transferred to the 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, a Battalion of the Regular Army attached to the 9th Brigade, 3rd Division until April 1916 when it transferred to the 8th Brigade in the same Division.
During 1916 the 1st Battalion Royal Scots participated during the Battles of the Somme at Bazentin Ridge July 14th-17th and Delville Wood July 15th-September 3rd. He was moved to the 6th/7th Battalion R. S. F. an amalgamation which had taken place in May 1916, as part of the 45th Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division when the 7th Battalion ceased to exist.
At the conclusion of the Battles of the Somme his regiment was moved to the Arras sector which saw the opening battle April 9th 1917 at the 1st Battle of the Scarpe, followed by the 2nd Battle of the Scarpe which concluded May 4th and during which the Division captured Guemappe. Private 16560 Thomas Harold Dixon was killed in action during day to day trench warfare September 24th 1917 and interred at Level Crossing Cemetery, Fampoux, Pas de Calais, France, grave I. C. 21. He was 22 years old and single.
As his sole beneficiary his mother Elizabeth received all monies due to him by the Army, a pension and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace
Thomas Harold Dixon is remembered at Consett on C101.01
