5th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment

I am conducting research into the men on the King’s School Worcester war memorials The intention is to produce a commemorative book to mark the end of WW1. I am looking to find details of how men were killed and if possible obtain a photograph of the individual. Could anyone help with the following casualty?

DIXON, James Humphrey Ferris Major 92241 East Yorkshire Regiment 5th Btn HOTTOT-LES-BAGUES WAR CEMETERY, France killed 11/06/1944

 

Hello Mark,

I can look this up in the battalion history for you this evening.

The 5th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment was brigaded with the 6th & 7th Bns Green Howards, 69th Infantry Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division, and were a 1st wave assault battalion on Gold Beach on D-Day.

They had previously fought in Belgium/France with the BEF (1940), the Western Desert early 1942 up to just before victory in Tunisia, then Sicily 10 July 1943 as assault battalion to victory and then home to prepare for D-Day.

Best,

Steve.

 

Hull Daily Mail 22 June 1944





Hull Daily Mail 07 May 1942




Hull Daily Mail 11 July 1935

 

There several family trees on Ancestry but none include a photo - but perhaps the creators of a tree have some they have not posted

James Humphrey Ferris Dixon
Birth: 20 July 1914 (20 Jul 1914) - Yorkshire
Death: 11 June 1944 (11 Jun 1944)
Marriage: About June 1942 (Jun 1942) - Tynemouth, Northumberland
F: Norman Dixon
M: Ada Mary Ferris

TD

 

Absolutely brilliant thank you so much for your reply and a photo too!

 

From the battalion history ‘The Story of The 5th Battalion The East Yorkshire Regiment TA’ (Garwood), Page 147:

This officer was on the Roll of Officers dated 23 April 1940, as 2nd Lt. JHF Dixon.

 

Thank you for all that information Steve TD and Guy. Most useful.

 

Hi,

I was recently looking through some old ww2 photos that belonged to my Grandad, Stanley Inman (4347638), and came across this picture of James Humphrey Ferris Dixon. The writing on the back of the photo (in my Grandads handwriting) states :-
[
5th E. Y. R

James Humphrey Ferris Dixon

Killed in action
July 10th 1944
Buried at
St Ledger
"Normandy"

 

.

 

F.A.O Fred, some further pictures of my Grandad, Stanley Inman, he was a Private in the Infantry of the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment.

I can remember him telling me that he was a Bren Gun carrier, but as I’ve got older, I’ve realised that this may have been an army “in joke”.


The Bren Gun was actually the weapon that he used in the war, I can remember him telling me a story of how he was firing it from the back of a moving truck at night and he had the gun shot out of his grasp as the Germans must have seen the flames from the end of the gun in the dark. I can also remember him telling me that he was either a “Batman” or “Pin man” for a superior officer, which would maybe tie in with one of his photos of a Major James Humphrey Ferris Dixon who was killed in France and who I can remember my grandad describing as one of his friends.


The first photo shows 5 soldiers posing with a wall in the background. My grandad is on the far left. I have no context for this photo.

The second photo, titled; Sicily Ali—Marina 1943, shows a group of 17 soldiers. My grandad is 2nd from the right, front row.

The 3rd photo, entitled “Cairo”, is a group photo which shows a group of soldiers from different units (and different countries) in front of a Mosque. Again, I have no context for this photo (my grandad is back row, 7th from the left (his head is in front of the guys legs who is leaning on the pillar)).

The next photo is of a woman who’s address in Belgium (see picture of the writing on the back of the photo) may have been somewhere my grandad was billeted at some point, but I’m not sure.


The last photo is of James Humphrey Ferris Dixon who was killed in Normandy. I believe my grandad may have taken the photo and has written on the back of the photo. I believe that the dates my grandad has written on the back of the photo may be incorrect, as they may have been added at a later date.

 

Hi Guys
Wondered if anyone could do something similar with my chap who was KIA in the same action.
Sgt ARTHUR WANTLING
Originally from St Lever, Bolton but in 1938 was living in Luton, Beds.
Don't have access to photos on ancestry.
Regards
Wayne