507519 Pte. John Irving Dixon was born on February 12th, 1898, in Pendelton, Ontario, Canada.
"Johnny" enlisted into the Canadian Engineers as Private, 507519, in Ottawa on January 2nd, 1917. His enlistment papers show him as being 5' 8" tall, with a dark complexion, gray eyes and dark hair. His occupation prior to enlistment shows him as a farmer.
Johnny sailed for England on April 29th, 1917, aboard the S.S. Olympic, arriving in England on May 7th, 1917, where he was taken on strength with the Canadian Engineers Training Depot (C.E.T.D) in Crowborough (East Sussex). He was with the the C.E.T.D until late September 1917, assigned first to 'B' Company and later being transferred to the Signals Company.
On September 25th, 1917, he was struck off strength with the C.E.T.D. and transferred to the 3rd Canadian Reserve Battalion in West Sandling. He continued to serve there until February 22nd, 1918, when he was taken on strength with the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles and sent to France, where he joined the unit on the March 28th, 1918, in Neuville Saint Vass, where the 4th CMR were in billets.
During the War's "Final One Hundred Days", John Irving Dixon, aged just 20 years, was in billets with his company, near the village of Folies, France, on August 14th, 1918, when an enemy aircraft dropped a bomb in his vicinity. He was killed instantly and now lies at rest at Bouchoir New British Cemetery, Somme, France.
Picture and biography credit with thanks to Ian Dixon