Born at Chorlton on the 26th May 1914, during the
June quarter 1914 in the Chorlton R.D. - ref:
8c/1842, the son of James and Anne Dixon (nee
Armstrong) of 16 Longsight Road, Gorton,
Manchester.

1939 National Registration - 23 Nansen Road,
Cheadle & Gatley.   James Dixon - Married - born
on the 6th June 1883 - occ: Machine Ruler Foreman
(Police War Constable No. 452/24207).  Annie Dixon
- Married - born on the 4th October 1896 - occ:
Unpaid Domestic Duties.   Hubert Dixon - Single -
Born on the 27th May 1914 - occ: Aircraft
Engineer.   Raymond Dixon - Single - Born on the
17th December 1916 - occ: Engineer.  There was one
redacted record at this address which would have
been his younger sister - Dora Dixon (b. Jun Qtr
1918) - the Dora Billington in the 2009 newspaper
report.

Employed as an Aero Engineer at Ford Aero Engines
(Rolls Royce) at Eccles, Salford.

Married Elsie Ayres at the Manchester Registry
Office during the September quarter 1939 in the
Manchester R.D. - ref: 8d/1104.   They had two
children - Michael Dixon (b. Jun  Qtr 1940) and
Martin A. Dixon (b. Sep Qtr 1941).

Hubert originally applied to join the ATA in
February 1941, but they stated that they were not
allowed to take pilots of military age unless they
had been turned down by the RAF.  He replied that
he had offered his ervices to the RAF, but as he
was in a "Reserved" occupation (Aircraft Engineer)
he was unable to obtain his release to join the
RAF.  He eventually got permission from the
Ministry of Labour to leave his employment
providing he found a job of greater National
importance.  The RAF finally turned him down
because the vision in his left eye was not up to
the required standard.

Eventually in December 1941 the ATA offered him a
job and was taken on by them as a Pilot Cadet. 
His trainees assessed him as an 'average' pilot
with an 'average' amount of common sense.   After
training, he was seconded to No. 6 FPP (Ferry
Pilot Pool - Ratcliffe, Leicestershire),   however
the AM1180 Crash Record Card states that he was
with No. 14 FPP (Manchester Ringway)???   Flying a
Defiant MkI a/c No. N3319, with a Merlin Mk3
engine.       

He took off at 3.15 pm from an RAF station
"somewhere in the West Midlands" Killed in a
flying accident at Green Lane, Timperley.   One
witness - Harold Warburton (a local market
gardener and an ex-pilot himself), reported that
as it flew over, he heard the aircraft's engine
firing intermittently, then the aircraft returned
flying at such a low altitude, that he thought it
was going to crash into the greenhouses.  The nose
of the aircraft was pulled up and it took a left
hand climbing turn, when at the top of the climb
it rolled over onto its back and nosed dived to
earth.   The aircraft was in flames, but with help
he was able to extricate the pilot, who was
already dead.   Another witness, Police Sergeant
J.H. Allman who was attending to his allotment
adjacent to the Altrincham Golf Course, considered
the aircraft to be flying at approximately 100
feet and was circling the Golf Course and he
presumed that, although his undercarriage was not
down, the pilot was looking for somewhere to land
the machine.   He also stated that the aircraft's
engine mis-fired at least 3 times before it
crashed.

His death was registered during the December
quarter 1942 in the Bucklow R.D. - ref: 8a/249 -
aged: 28.

His wife, Elsie identified the body.    Buried on
03/12/1942 - Burial No. 11,512.    CWGC Headstone.
  M.I. "Always thoughful and kind.  A beautiful
memory left behind.  Mother, Raymond & Dora".

His mother - Anne Dixon died 26/08/1968 aged 77
and his brother Raymond 19/09/1989 aged 73, are
buried in the plot next to Hubert James.

See also - the excellent website
www.afleetingpeace.org/the-ata/index/php

Another source states that 2nd Off Hubert James
Dixon, ATA, of 14FPP, was flying a Defiant No.
N3319, being ferried from Hullavington, Wiltshire
via Millom to Barrow in Furness.  The a/c stalled
during an attempted force-landing and dived into
ground at Timperley, Cheshire.  At the time of the
accident, he had undertaken only 97 flying hours.

His death was also reported in the Flight Magazine
dated - 10th December 1942.   DIXON, Hubert James,
Acting Second Officer (Air Transport Auxiliary) on
November 28th, 1942, beloved husband of Elsie
Dixon, of Gatley, Cheshire. Killed whilst ferrying
HM aircraft in England.

Death also reported in the 04/12/1942 edition of
the Sale & Stretford Guardian.

The Sale & Altrincham Messenger ran a feature on
the story in the 12th November 2009 edition.  This
referred to a Dennis Wilkinson who stated that he
had managed to get the pilot out of the burning
aircraft, but he was already dead from the impact
of the crash.  The feature included a portrait
photograph of Hubert, a caricature of him and a
picture of Dennis and Dora together when they
recently met.

There were two war-time air crashes at Timperley -
this one in 1942, the other in 1945.  See my
booklet "Timperley's War-time Air Crashes".