Dixon, Walter

Walter was born on 4th October 1875, in Winterton, Lincs, and was the son of Robert & Ann Elizabeth DIXON. The 1881 census shows that the family had moved to Hull and Walter boarded at the above address. Walter’s service record has not survived, but he enlisted in Hull and was killed in action on 9th April 1917 at Adinfer Wood, aged 41. At the time he was described as being the brother of Mrs Florence Williamson, of Howsham, Lincolnshire. He is buried in Cojeul British Cemetery, St Martin-sur-Cojeul, France. The war diary reads: “9th April – Details remained in Adinfer Wood. Btn: attacked in afternoon. High wind and occasional snow. Btn: carried 1st objective, but not 2nd and proceeded to consolidate.”
The battalion took part in the Arras Battle. “The Battalion had the distinction of being the right of the whole line. It was temporarily held up by the wire of the Hindenburg line, which, on our brigade front, had been very slightly damaged. But Lieut. Pisa and his gallant trench mortar men blew a gap, and the Battalion got through and seized the front German line, Pisa was killed in this fine bit of work. The Division on our left failed, and consequently the Brigade front was an island in the Hindenburg line; but it took the Germans twenty-four hours to turn us out, after constant bombing, which ended with a tornado of “pineapple” shells from mortars, specially brought up for a big counter-attack.”
Walter Dixon was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.