Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.

Detail :

He was killed in action at Passchendaele [20th October 1917].

His photograph appears with a report of his death in the Halifax Courier [24th November 1917].
He was buried at Poelcapelle British Cemetery, Belgium [Grave Ref XVI C 20].
He is remembered in the Halifax Town Hall Books of Remembrance, on the Memorial at Park Congregational Church, and on the Memorial at Halifax Freemasons.

Transcript from the Halifax Evening Courier:

News has been received that Mr Clement A Dixon, Bok Van, Trimmingham, was killed in action on Oct 30th. He joined the Artists' Rifles about a year ago, and had been in France a few months. He was the only son of Mr J T Dixon, jeweller, St James' Road, and previous to joining the army, conducted a successful business as an optician. He was 32 years of age, and leaves a widow and one child. He was a Freemason, and connected with St James' Lodge (448). His death will be greatly regretted by a large circle of friends.

Mrs Dixon has received from Major Innes the following letter: - "I must tell you how deeply we sympathise with you in this terrible loss you have sustained in the death of your husband. I know how weak any words from me must sound, but he died for his country, and was killed instantly, on the morning of Oct. 20, during an attack on the German positions."

[photograph from the Halifax Evening Courier]



Probate Record: DIXON, Clement Arthur of Rok Van Trimmingham Lane, Halifax, 1st Artist Rifles, 28th London Territorials - Died 30th October 1917 in France. Administration London, 9th January to Bertha Dixon, widow. Effects £974 14s 2d.

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley
• Researcher : Rod Taylor