Awoingt British Cemetery
Elsie Eaton from Manchester has submitted the following:
My two great uncles are listed on this memorial F.A. Dixon and M.B. Dixon, both my grandmother’s brothers, both killed in the first world war, Frances in 1917 in Belgium and Matthew in 1918 in France near the end of the war. One brother returned home, Robert Dixon.
The brothers were Miners from Windy Nook, and their fathers and grandfather owned some of the Public houses in and around Windy Nook. My husband and I visited both the graves of these two brothers last year, very sobering to see the thousands of young men all in their graves in France.
My grandmother Margaret (known as little Meg), now deceased,never got to see the graves of her beloved brothers and would cry for them often, even at her age of 79 when she died. So we decided to visit them for her and show our respect to them both for giving their young lives to save this country for all of their families to come.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Matthew Burnett Dixon was born at Heworth, Gateshead, County Durham in 1892, one of 5 children 3, sons and 2 daughters born to Francis Dixon 1867 and his wife Mary Connolly born 1871 as Mary Burnett, both natives of Heworth, near Gateshead. After their marriage in 1889/90 they lived in a four-bedroomed house at 2 Church Street occupying 2 rooms, Lawrence and Anne Kelly with their young son James occupying the other 2, Francis (Frank) was employed as a coal miner. Ten years later he was an innkeeper, running his own pub, The Bay Horse Inn at 19 Coldwell Street, later in 1911 employed by publican Mrs White as bar manager and living with his family at 56 Split Crow Lane, Heworth. Only Matthew (19) was still living at home, he worked as a putter at the colliery, also living with them was James Connolly a ship yard worker and Sarah Tingley, a servant. Aged 5 years his brother Francis was living with his maternal grandfather Matthew Burnett, a hotel manager and his wife at 24, Stephenson Street, Heworth. Matthew married Frances Ellen Sanderson at Gateshead in 1914 prior to the beginning of hostilities with Germany. Their son Robert was born in 1914 followed by Matthew Burnett Dixon Jnr in 1915 and Ella in 1918.
On the outbreak of hostilities with Germany Matthew left his employment as a miner, enlisting at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, along with his brother Francis Alfred, October 14th 1914, joining the 18th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers as Private 403, beginning training at Newcastle, part of which entailed, after the issue of picks and shovels, marching every day to Benton to dig trenches. The first week was very competitive, the expert miners amongst them managed to dig down 4 feet 6 inches in an hour. After spending time at Rothbury and Cramlington, February 8th 1915 it officially became a Pioneer Battalion and in July joined the 34th Division at Kirkby Malzeard. Divisional training continued at Salisbury Plain and Sutton Veny until being taken over by the War Office, November 4th 1915. December 28th preparations were made for embarkation at Southampton and they departed January 7th arriving at Le Havre, on the 8th. Entrained the Division was sent on to the depot at Etaples and underwent a fortnight of route-marching as preparations were already underway for the commencement of the Battles of the Somme. The 34th Division departed from St. Omer for the Somme April 18th 1916. British attacks began July 1st 1916, engaged at the Battle of Albert and Bapaume, capturing La Boisselle, July 4th. “B” Company on the 4th and 5th were given the task of burying the dead, then moved up to Becourt Wood and marched back on the 6th transferring to the 37th Division. July 11th “B” and “D” Companies went into the front line at Bienvillers to find gas cylinders in the trenches ready to be deployed agains the Germans which they were when the wind was favourable on the 14th and 15th. Ordered back on the 18th to Verdrei they were lent to the 63rd Division engaged in reopening old trenches destroyed in earlier bombardments, then on to Villers-Au-Bois working mostly at night as the Germans from certain high points on Vimy Ridge could see all they did and they sustained constant bombardment during the day. They remained on the Somme battlefields for the rest of 1916. January 26h 1917 they were moved to billets just north of Meteren until the 29th when they were moved again by bus to Robecq, from where they marched reaching on February 2nd, St Catherine a suburb of Arras.They participated during the Battles of Arras in spring 1917 until they transferred to the Belgian salient in July 1917 for the commencement of the Battle of Passchendaele which lasted until November 10th 1917. January 1918, they were relieved by the 20th K. R. R.’s and marched back to Avesnes le Comte for a period of rest and training having been told there were tough times ahead in anticipation of the beginning of the First Battles of the Somme, March 21st 1918 lasting until April 5th, the Battles of the Lys and the Advance to Victory culminating with The Armistice of November 11th 1918.
Prior to his death Private Dixon had been transferred to the 1st Battalion. He was wounded, exact date unknown and taken to the Awoingt area near Cambrin, France which had been captured from the Germans between 9-10th October 1918 and where the 38th, 45th and 59th Casualty Clearing Stations had been posted. Private 403 Matthew Burnett Dixon Northumberland Fusiliers died of wounds sustained in action, October 27th 1918 and interred at Awoingt British Cemetery, Nord, France, grave I. G. 6. He was 27 years old.
His widow Frances Ellen received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their children and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 23, Elsdon Street, Felling, County Durham. Frances commissioned at the cost of 9 shillings 7 pence an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Though Lost To Sight Ever To Memory Dear.”
Frances Ellen remarried in 1925 at Gateshead to Joseph N. Guy with whom she had a further 3 sons, Thomas born 1925, Allan 1927 and Kenneth in 1930.
Two of Matthew’s brothers also served. As regards Richard Dixon, the eldest, no details are available, however he did survive the conflict. Francis Alfred Dixon who enlisted as Private 423 18th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers along with his brother Matthew, died of wounds, aged 22 years old, September 4th 1917 and was interred at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium, grave XVIII. H. 9. Recipient of the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Matthew Burnett Dixon is remembered at Heworth on H92.03, H92.04 and H92.07 and in the Battalion History
