THOMAS HERBERT DIXON MC
10 March 1894 - 25 August 1918
At School 1903 - 1907
Capt 12th Manchester Regt
Thomas was born in Manchester and in 1901, aged 7, was living at Alder House, Burford Road, Whalley Range, with father Herbert, a Merchant Shipper, mother Helen, younger brothers Alfred and Arnold, younger sister Elsie, two domestic servants and two nursemaids. Alfred was also a Hulmeian and also sadly killed during the War. Thomas was better known as Herbert, and entered School in 1903, aged 9, staying until he was 13, when he left to go to Mill Hill School in London as a boarder. At Mill Hill, Herbert became a Sergeant in the School OTC, a member of the 1st XV and the Running Team leaving in July 1913, having obtained a place at Caius College,
Cambridge. On the outbreak of war Herbert joined the 23rd Battalion, Manchester Regiment. This was raised in Manchester on 21 November 1914 by the Lord Mayor and City as a Bantam "Pals" Battalion for men between the height of five feet and five feet three inches. This was the last of the Service Battalions raised in Manchester and completed the 91st (City) Brigade. Herbert obtained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant on 28 December 1914, at which time the Battalion had moved to Morecambe for training. On 1 May 1915, Herbert was promoted to Lieutenant and in June the Battalion moved to Masham, near Harrogate as part of the 104th Brigade, 35th Division. In August the Battalion moved again to Parkhouse Camp on Salisbury Plain and on 4 October Herbert was further promoted to
Captain. Finally in January 1916, the Battalion received orders to leave for France and on the 29th embarked at Folkestone for Boulogne. Unfortunately after 12 hours in the Channel the Battalion was forced to return as mines had been sighted. Boulogne was reached the following day and the Battalion travelled to billets in Quiestede, near St Omer. There followed more training and lectures and the battalion was inspected by Earl Kitchener on 11 February. From the 18th to 20th the Battalion moved to the Bethune area of the line marching via Boeseghem, Calonne sur la Lys and Le Touret. On 20 February the Battalion went into trenches near Richebourg St Vaast under instruction from the Welsh Regiment for eight days then marched to billets at La Pannerie and the following day to Calonne sur La Lys, some 10 km north of Bethune.

After a further period of training, on 7 March, the Battalion moved into the front line trenches for their first tour of duty. The War Diary reports that the night was very bad, with snow and wind, but the relief of the 9th Welsh Regiment was carried out in two hours. On the 8th, Princes Road was heavily shelled and communication between HQ and the front line was interrupted for three hours. The Battalion was in the line for eight days, during which time casualties were suffered from artillery fire and sniping on a daily basis, and the men suffered from "want of fuel". On the 15th the Battalion was relieved and moved to billets in reserve, but still suffered casualties from

shelling. On the 25th, the Battalion moved to billets at Bethune and then on the 28th, to Sailly-sur-La-Lys, near Armentieres. The War Diary reports that during the stay in the trenches Rope communication trench to the front line was completed and daylight relief made possible, previously relieving had necessarily taken place at night, across the open. In April the Battalion moved back into the front line trenches north of Neuve Chapelle and on the 16th, Herbert and three other ranks were wounded by rifle grenades. Although Herbert was not seriously wounded, his wound was sufficient to have him evacuated to Lady Northcliffe's Hospital in London via Le Havre and Southampton. He was later transferred to the 2nd Western General Hospital, which occupied several buildings in the Manchester Area.
Captain T H DIXON, M C, Manchester Regiment, killed in action on August 25th, was at the School from April, 1903, to July, 1907. He then went to Mill Hill School, where he was head of his house and sergeant in the O T C, and to Caius College, Cambridge. In December,1914, after recovering from an operation, he obtained a commission in the Manchester Regiment, and was gazetted captain in July, 1915. He served nearly three years in France, was wounded in May, 1916, returning to France in July of the same year. He subsequently received the Military Cross:-
“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when he took his company forward to clear away the enemy who were reported to be cutting wire under the cover of darkness, when he led his men with great coolness.”
His brother, Second Lieutenant Alfred C Dixon, Lancashire fusiliers, also an Old Hulmeian, was killed in 1916 at Thiepval, and the younger and only surviving brother, Arnold C Dixon, is completing his training in the O C B at Kummel Park, Heel.