KILLED IN ACTION

We regret to record that Mr. C W. Dixon Johnson, Croft House, Croft-on-Tees and Hethpool, Wooler was killed in action at the Front on October 9th. [1917] Deceased who was 43 years of age, was serving as a Private in the West Yorks, married a daughter of the late Mr. George Grey of Milfield, Wooler and was the second son of the late Cuthbert Greenwood Dixon Johnson of Oakwood Croft. He leaves a widow and three young children who reside at Leeside Berwick, and with them the deepest sympathy is felt.

Freddy was the third child of George and Christian Grey.

She was the only one of their two daughters to marry and her wedding may have been one of the last big celebrations at Milfield Hill.

Above: Group photograph dated 1932 & 1934, which is stamped "Allied Newspapers, Manchester". John Dixon Johnson's writing on the reverse: " NCOH (Northern Counties Otter Hounds) about 1934 left to right Capt Will Burrill Robinson, Sammy Sadler, C. J. Dixon-Johnson (Hon Sec) Mrs Sadler, Harry Davies (Huntsman) Seated Ned Raynor (Middleham)." The poles were for walking with and were invaluable when wading in rivers. A pre-WW2 copy of Baily's Hunting Directory records that in 1936 the Master was C. Riddell. Joint Hon Secs were P.C. Swan, Esq., Ewart, Newtown, Wooler; Rev. R. W. Bell, Stamfordham, Newcastle and C. J. Dixon-Johnson Esq., Middleham.

Thanks to Bob Evers for the picture and the information.

Christian Elfreda Grey (Freddy)

Born 22 Dec 1883 at Milfield Hill

Married 17 Dec 1907 at Kirknewton, Charles William Dixon Johnson

She died on 23 May 1955 at 148, Glasgow Road, Edinburgh and is buried at Fireburn.

Below:: 35mm contact prints from an envelope of photographs from WW2. Mostly unmarked. Some of Jerusalem and the River Jordan in Sept 1941, and some of Egypt showing the pyramids, the Nile, and Cairo in 1943. The caption on the back seems to say "at Syria".

John Dixon-Johnson

Charlie and Freddy's son Cuthbert John Dixon-Johnson was known by his second name. Freddy moved back to Northumberland and by 1931 the family were living at Middle Ord.

Part of a set of photos showing, the desert, an army mess and a swimming pool. The man on the right looks like John Dixon-Johnson, and Molly may be in the centre?

He died in 1976.

Left: This picture is not captioned but may be John Dixon- Johnson. He broke his nose when he was a boy and it was never straightened.

He married Molly Davy. They bought Middle Ord House when it was sold by Kathleen Grey.

Right: undated cutting found among family papers.

Charlie was a keen huntsman who rode with George Grey. His fox hunting diary can be read here.

Charles William Dixon-Johnson

In the 1901 census he was living at Oakwood, Croft, Durham, aged 25 with his widowed mother aged 58 & 5 servants. In the 1911 census (below) he was living at Croft House, Croft, Durham, aged 35 married to Freddy, aged 27, with Cuthbert aged 2. He enlisted in Newcastle on Tyne, into the Prince of Wales Own ( West Yorkshire Regiment) 1/7th battalion. Number 54593.

His name is on the Tyne Cot Memorial Zonnebeke West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium. Here.

Freddy put up a memorial plaque to Charlie in Kirknewton Church.

His older brother Cuthbert Francis Dixon-Johnson died in 1939.

John retired in 1965.

Charlie had ridden with the Glendale hunt. The Leicester Daily Post of 13 March 1907 reported that he won a prize for a horse called Palavar in the Annual Show of the Hunters Improvement Society in 1907. He sat on the Durham Assizes in 1903. He was supposedly the first farmer to have built a silo, as reported in the Newcastle Chronicle of March 1940.

More on the ancestors of the Dixon- Johnsons here.

Freddy died in 1955 and was buried at Fireburn.

Freddy was advertising for a cook at Croft House in the Newcastle Journal on 29 April 1914.

25 Aug 1931 Berwickshire News from FMP

Freddy (left & above) with four of her brothers sitting on the front lawn at Mifield. A very thumb-printed photograph possibly shot and processed by her oldest brother Jock. Thanks to Frances Cumming for these two pictures.

Freddy's twin daughters were called Faith and Hope, photographed here by Hestia Grey in the 1920s with their pekinese dogs.

Freddy's brother Jock handled the first probate and Charlie's brother Cuthbert the second.

Hope died in 1977