Pte 21489 Robert Miles Dixon

• Age: 23
• From: Fulwood, Preston
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Robert Miles Dixon was born 18th October 1892 in Fulwood, Preston and was the son of Robert Dixon and his wife Frances Ellen  (nee Coward). The couple married in 1889 at Christ Church, Preston. Robert was the third of their six children, and the eldest son; he had elder sisters Dorothy and Kathleen Coward, and younger siblings Frances Mary (who died at age 4), Frank, and Stanley. 

A baptism is found for Robert Miller Dixon, son of Robert and Frances Ellen, of Fulwood, on 2nd June 1893 in St. John's, Preston.  His father's occupation is listed as Registrar of Marriage (at their marriage in 1889 he was a clerk), but as there is no birth record for a Robert Miller, this is likely a transcription error.

At the time of the 1901 census the Preston born family were living at 136 Castleton Road Preston.

The couple, both aged 35 had four children in the household – Dorothy aged 11, Kathleen 10, Robert 8 and Frank aged 3. Robert senior is working as a Vaccination Officer.

The 1911 census records that the  family now live at 74 Wellfield Road in Preston.

Frances, a seamstress working from home, is away from home that night visiting a friend. His father, 45, is listed as formerly vaccination officer. The couple have another son called Stanley who was born in 1904. The 21 year old Dorothy is working as a confectioner, Kathleen aged 19 is a weaver in a cotton mill and Robert aged 18 is a railway van boy. Frank aged 13 and Stanley aged 6 are schoolboys.

Robert enlisted on the 03rd September 1914 at St George's Hall, Liverpool, joining the 19th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 21489. He gave his age as 21 years and 320 days and his occupation as a clerk. He was described as being five feet nine and three quarter inches tall, weighed 126lbs, 34” chest, sallow complexion, brown eyes, black hair and gave his religion as Church of England. He gave as next of kin his mother Frances at 38 Brieryfield Road, Preston, later changed to School of Domestic Sciences, Glovers Court, Preston.

Formed on 07^th September 1914 the 19^th Battalion trained locally at Sefton Park and remained living at home or in rented accommodation until November 1914. They then moved to the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 19th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain.

On 07th November 1915, Robert embarked from Folkestone for France with his battalion. 

His military record shows that he served as batman to Capt. Willmer.  He accompanied his officer to the Infirmary on 14/02/1916 and rejoined his unit from 3rd Army H.Q. on 13/03/1916. Another entry shows Field Ambulance on 14/04/1916 (Capt. sick) and rejoined on 03/06/1916. (Capt. Walter Willmer was killed in action the same day at Guillemont.)

He was killed in action on the 30th July 1916, aged 23, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

19^th Battalion Diary 

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.  

Robert was initially declared Missing. An entry on his Casualty Form dated 05th August 1917 states "death presumed on or since 30th July".

After his death the Army sent his belongings back to his mother – 1 cap badge, 1 safety razor and blade in box and 1 hymn book.

Nearly two years after his death his sister Dorothy wrote from the Women's Hostel in Eltham, London to the International Red Cross in hopes that Robert had been taken prisoner, but was notified in July 1918 that they held information on him.

An In Memoriam notice was placed in the Lancashire Evening Post - Monday, 18 October 1920:   

DIXON -  in affectionate remembrance of Robert Miles Dixon, King's Liverpool Regiment, eldest son of Robert and Frances Ellen Dixon, born October 18th 1892. Reported missing August 1916 - The Battle of the Somme. " Lest we forget. "

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

Robert earned his three medals.

His outstanding Army pay and a War Gratuity of £8-10s went to his mother, who was awarded a pension of 9/6d a week from May 1917, living in Brieryfield Road.

His younger brother Frank enlisted on 30th January 1915 giving his age as 19 years and 7 months (he would have been 17), and was discharged on 17th February having made a mis-statement as to age.  He later joined up and served with the occupation forces in Germany.

Following Robert’s death being reported, his father Robert senior enlisted in the Royal Engineers in April 1917 at the age of 50. He was sent to France in May 1917 and was demobilised in May 1919.

By April 1919 his mother was living at 43 Glovers Court with Stanley 14, and married sister Kathleen Ratcliffe, 27.  His father was on active service in France, and Frank, 21, was in Germany.  Eldest sister Dorothy Squire, 29, was at Cranwell Camp in Lincolnshire.

In 1939 his mother, 74, was living at 58 Blackpool Road, Preston with son Stanley, 35, a driver, and daughter Dorothy Squire, 50, and her 25-year old daughter.

His father died aged 83 in 1949 and his mother lived to the age of 84 and died in 1950. 

Robert is also remembered on the Preston Roll of Honour. 

We currently have no further information on Robert Miles Dixon, if you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.