Profile

DIXON, James Cochrane
(Service number 35887)

Aliases
First Rank Lance Corporal Last Rank Sergeant

Birth

Date 04/05/1882 Place of Birth St Andrews, New Zealand

Enlistment Information

Date 5 October 1916 Age 32 years
Address at Enlistment Morven
Occupation Musterer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Single then married
Next of Kin (Mrs William DIXON, mother, Morven, South Canterbury); Mrs Amelia DIXON (wife), care of John GUTHRIE, 24 St David's Street, Christchurch
Religion Presbyterian
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 23rd Reinforcements, Mounted Rifles
Date 19 April 1917
Transport Moeraki
Embarked From Wellington Destination Suez, Egypt
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With NZ Mounted Rifles

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals British War Medal; Victory Medal
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Manager

Death

Date 26 June 1972 Age 84 years
Place of Death Timaru
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Timaru Cemetery
Memorial Reference General Section, Row 144, Plot 771
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

James Cochrane Dixon was born on 4 May 1888 at St Andrews, South Canterbury, the eldest of the three sons of William and Elizabeth Susan (née Cochrane) Dixon. He started his schooling at St Andrews School, transferring to Waihao Native School in November 1899 and from there to Waikakahi in January 1902.

James enlisted on 5 October 1916 at Waimate. A musterer at Morven, single and Presbyterian, he initially named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs William Dixon, Morven, South Canterbury. But then he married Amelia Guthrie on 19 December 1916 at Featherston. She became his next-of-kin – Mrs Amelia Dixon, care of John Guthrie, 24 St David’s Street, Christchurch.

Lance Corporal J. C. Dizon embarked with the Mounted Rifles of the 23rd Reinforcements, departing from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, by the “Moeraki” on 19 April 1917. Draft 230 (“Kaikoura”) was to arrive at Wellington about 17 April 1919. In the list of troopers aboard was J. C. Dixon, 35887. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The name of J. C. Dixon appeared regularly on the Waimate Daily Advertiser Roll of Honour under the sub-title of Answered the Call.

James Cochrane Dixon died on 26 June 1972 at Timaru, aged 84 years. He was interred at Timaru Cemetery, Amelia being interred with him in 1974. His brother, Ronald Alexander Dixon, enlisted for service but was not fit to go abroad. At a sitting of the Military Service Board in Timaru in late July 1917, it was noted that Stuart Martin Dixon – James’ youngest brother - had been passed by the Medical Board as C2 (fit only for Home Service), and his appeal was dismissed.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museumm Cenotaph Database [05 July 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [05 July 2022]; School Admission records (Waimate Branch NZSG) [19 July 2022]; Timaru Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [19 July 2022]; Timaru Herald, 31 July 1917, Waimate Daily Advertiser, 30 May 1918, NZ Times, 1 April 1919 (Papers Past) [18 September 2019; 19 July 2022]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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