293
DIXON—DIXSON—DOBBIE.
Capt. Lord Henry Paulet, which ship, while in pursuit, in the West Indies, of a squadron under M. Villaumez, was totally dismasted and all but lost during a terrific hurricane of 36 hours’ continuance, 18 and 19 Aug. 1806 – and, 4 June, 1807, to the Horatio 38, Capt. Geo. Scott. On 10 Feb. 1809, being First-Lieutenant of that frigate, Mr. Dixon was badly wounded by a musket-ball, which entered the left groin and passed through the thigh, while sharing in a long and severe action which terminated in the capture – with a loss to the Horatio (then in company with the Latona 38, and Supérieure and Driver sloops) of 7 men killed and 26 wounded – of the French 40-gun frigate La Junon.[1] For his gallantry on the occasion he was eventually promoted to the rank of Commander by commission dated back to the day of the action; and, besides the receipt of a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund, was awarded for his wounds a pension of 250l. Capt. Dixon, whose next appointment was, 22 Oct. 1810, to the Fly brig, attained Post-rank 28 June, 1811. From that period he officiated as Flag-Captain to his father, in the Vigo and Montagu 74’s, on the Baltic and South American stations, until 29 July, 1813, when he exchanged into the Nereus 42. After accompanying the homeward-bound trade to the northward as far as the Equator, Capt. Dixon assumed charge of a small squadron stationed in the Rio de la Plata. He left the Nereus 11 Jan. 1815; afterwards commanded the Pallas 42, on the West India station, from 15 March, 1831, until some time in the following year; and, since 22 May, 1845, has been employed as Captain of the Caledonia 120, at Devonport.
He married, 18 April, 1815, Harriet, second daughter of Wm. Foot, Esq., of Devonport.
DIXON. (Commander, 1835.)
Matthew Dixon passed his examination in 1820; obtained his first commission 6 Oct. 1827; was appointed, 15 Aug. 1833, to the Ocean 80, Capts. Edw. Barnard and Alex. Ellice, bearing the flag, latterly, of Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming, Commander-in-Chief at the Nore; and attained his present rank 3 Aug. 1835. He has not since been employed.
Commander Dixon married, 24 March, 1845, Wilhelmina, relict of the late Henry Cheape, Esq., of Rossie, co. Fife, and sister of Capt. Geo. Hathom, R.N.
DIXON. (Lieutenant, 1807. f-p., 32; h-p., 16.)
William Henry Dixon was born 12 Aug. 1786, at Rochester, co. Kent.
This officer entered the Navy, 9 Feb. 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Stag 32, Capt. Joseph Sydney Yorke, employed as a cruizer in the Bay of Biscay. He continued to serve with the same officer, in the Jason 36, and, as Midshipman, in the Canada 74, on the Channel station, until May, 1802; between which period and May, 1806, he next successively joined, in the Mediterranean and West Indies, the Donegal 74, Capts. Sir Rich. John Strachan and Pulteney Malcolm, the Northumberland 74, flag-ship of Sir Alex. Cochrane, and the Dolphin, commanded, we believe, by Capt. Isaac Ferrieres. He was then appointed Sub-Lieutenant of the Demerara 12, Lieut.-Commander Wm. Paterson; and on his subsequent return to England obtained a full Lieutenancy, 25 May, 1807, in the Challenger 16, Capt. Wm. Barnham Rider. His succeeding appointments appear to have been – 25 Nov. 1807, to the Crescent 36, Capt. Jas. Carthew – 30 May, 1808, to the Bombay 74, Capt. Wm. Cuming – 14 Dec. 1808, to the Dannemark 74, Capt. Jas. Bissett – 8 June, 1810, to the Prince of Orange 74, bearing the flag in the Downs of Admiral Campbell – 27 Feb. 1811, to the Helder 36, Capt. John Serrell – and, 6 Feb. 1812 and 22 Dec. 1813, as First-Lieutenant, to the Britomart 10, Capt. Wm. B. Hunt, and Devastation 10, Capt. Thos. Alexander. After attending, in the Dannemark, the expedition to the Walcheren, Mr. Dixon, on 10 July, 1811, took command of a boat belonging to the Helder, and cut out four Danish vessels from under the protection of a 6-gun battery and two gun-boats in Kioge Bay. When in the Britomart, he was recommended for promotion for his conduct in similarly capturing, off Heligoland, with three boats under his orders, and a collective loss to the British of 3 men killed and 10 wounded, L’Eole French privateer, pierced for 14 guns, but carrying only 6, with a complement of 31 men, of whom 2 were killed and 7 wounded, 17 July, 1812.[2] In the course of the same and the following month we again find him commanding a boat in an attack on the batteries at Spikeroog, where he sustained a loss of 1 man killed and another wounded, and at the cutting out of two vessels from beneath the protection of 20 gun-boats in the river Ems. On being appointed to the Devastation, Mr. Dixon sailed for North America, where, among other Chesapeake operations, he was present, in Aug. 1814, at the storming of Fort Washington and the capitulation of Alexandria. On her return from the latter place down the Potomac, the Devastation took the ground, and was only preserved by the greatest exertions from being destroyed by the enemy. Lieut. Dixon – who invalided home on 30 Sept. 1814, and was afterwards employed, from 16 Feb. 1816 to 29 May, 1828, as Assistant-Superintendent of the quarantine at Standgate Creek – has been in command, since 15 Nov. 1841, of the Semaphore station at Kingston.
He married 3 Aug. 1815, and has issue 11 children. Agents – Messrs. Ommanney.
DIXSON. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 14; h-p., 30.)
Benjamin Dixson entered the Navy, 29 Sept. 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Utrecht 64, Capt. John Wentworth Loring, flag-ship in succession of Rear-Admirals Robt. Montagu and John Holloway, on the Downs station, where he attained the rating of Midshipman 7 April, 1804. In 1805 he made a trip to the West Indies in the Circe 32, Capt. Jonas Rose; on his return from which station, in the Africaine 38, Capt. Thos. Manby, he joined, 23 Dec. in the same year, the Antelope 50, Capts. Henry Bazely and Edw. Galwey; under the former of whom we find him escorting the East India trade to and from St. Helena, and conveying the Earl of Caledon to the Cape of Good Hope. On accompanying Capt. Galwey, in April, 1809, into the Isis 50, armée en flûte, commanded afterwards by Capt. Woodley Losack, he attended the ensuing expedition to the Walcheren. He subsequently served, chiefly as Master’s Mate, in the Redpole 10, Capt. Colin Macdonald, Victory 100, flag-ship in the Baltic of Sir Jas. Saumarez, and Galatea 36, Capt. W. Losack. He returned to England from the West Indies in Aug. 1814; and on 11 March, 1815, was promoted to his present rank. Since 13 July, 1844, Mr. Dixson has been serving on board the Ocean 80, guard-ship at Sheerness.
DOBBIE. (Commander, 1846.)
William Hugh Dobbie is eldest son of the late Capt. Wm. Hugh Dobbie, R.N. (1806), Deputy-Lieutenant for the co. of Essex, and a very gallant officer, by Agatha Shedden, third daughter of Bartlet Goodrich, Esq., of Saling Grove, in the same county; nephew of Geo. Dobbie, Esq., Surgeon in H.M. 75th Regiment, who fell a victim to the climate of India about the commencement of the present century; and great-grandson of Sam. Staples, Esq., a naval officer, who died on board the Grafton of 70 guns, during the siege of Pondicherry, in 1761. One of Commander Debbie’s sisters is married to a son of John Benbow, Esq., M.P. for Dudley, a descendant of the celebrated Admiral Benbow.
This officer passed his examination in 1831; and obtained his first commission 26 Dec. 1887. His succeeding appointments were – 1 March, 1838, to
