#England #Kent #Military #WWII
Robert DIXON was the eighth of 10 children born to George1 Robert DIXON (1879 – 1952), a Farm Labourer / Waggoner and Soldier, and Eliza Ann TUPPER (1886 – 1971).
George1’s family seem to have been around East Langdon for a few generations and he was born at Northbourne. Eliza was born in Swingfield and her family have been around South East Kent for a while as well. They married Q4 1904 Elham District when he was 25 and she just 18.
Robert had five sisters – Dorothy Alice DIXON (1905 – 1905), Fanny Edith DIXON (1909 – 1995), Hilda DIXON (1914 – 1971) and Constance K DIXON (1923 – 1923). Sadly, two of these died in infancy but the other two married and had families I believe.
He also had four brothers – Edwin DIXON (1906 – 1968), George2 DIXON (1911 – 1988), Geoffrey Thomas DIXON (1927 – 2002) and James Peter DIXON (1930 – 2020). Due to the age gap it possible that he didn’t have much to do with his older siblings depending on their movements.
Also, there is a noticeable gap of births between 1914 and 1920 whilst George senior was away. Most of the surviving offspring seem to have married and had children.
There is not much information available about Robert’s life as the most recent census was still 13 years before his birth and pre the First World War.
Based on where the other children’s births were registered appears that they had moved from Water Farm Cottage in Sellindge, Kent over towards Chartham by the beginning of 1914.
All the younger children were registered in the Bridge District with Robert’s being in Q1 1924 about a year after his sister had been born and sadly passed away at less than 3 months old.
Again there is a large gap to the 1939 Register where either his record is still officially closed currently along with another three entries or he was elsewhere and not been picked up. The names shown are his parents, grandfather Edwin and brother Geoffrey.
Robert would have been around 15 at this time. They are living at 1 Nickle Bank in the Bridge-Blean Rural District. This is in Chartham and presumably his father was working next door on Nickle Farm 1.
With regards to his military career there is not much available but he must have joined the RAF as soon as he was able. At the time of his death, aged only 20, he was a Sergeant Flight Engineer in 178 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 2. His regimental number was 1605828. Robert’s memorial is at the Klagenfurt War Cemetery 3, Carinthia Province of Austria.
Without more in depth research can only surmise that he was on a flight between the Foggia region, Italy 4 and Warsaw, Poland when either shot down or suffered mechanical failure based on information available about the Squadron 5. It appears he was awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the 1939-45 Star 6.
The family continued on without him for the next six years until his father passed away aged 73 and then his brother Edwin went in 1968. Eliza spent 19 years on her own until she died at 85 but definitely had three if not more of the remaining children still living who hopefully looked after her in old age.
Robert DIXON was a 3C 2R to me on his maternal line. I have several DNA matches on Ancestry with descendants of the family.
The nearest shared ancestors are my 4x Great Grandparents Jesse TUPPER (1811 – 1894) and Elizabeth Betsy DANIELS (1811 – 1893).
Footnotes –
Most research undertaken using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps. Additional resources listed below if utilised.
- Canterbury City Council – https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/11961139/chartham-ca-appraisalqxp-canterbury-city-council/17 (original link no longer available but found document) ↩︎
- Forces War Records – https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/5119/royal-air-force-volunteer-reserve ↩︎
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission [CWGC] – https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2805332/robert-dixon/ ↩︎
- History of War – https://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/178_wwII.html ↩︎
- Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._178_Squadron_RAF ↩︎
- Forces War Records – https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/records/21678999/robert-dixon-royal-air-force-royal-air-force/ ↩︎