Henry Grey Dixon was born on 14 Aug 1850, the 8th child and 4th son of Colonel John Dixon and Sophia Tatton. He was educated at Bridgeman’s and attended RMA Woolwich. He joined the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in 1868.
Henry Dixon served in the 2nd Battalion in the Afghan War of 1878–80, first with the Peshawar Valley Field Force as orderly officer to Brigadier-General Blyth, taking part in the Bazar Valley Expedition under Lt-General Maude. He was later with the Khyber Line Force under Lt-General Bright, in which he was mentioned in despatches. In 1888 he was with the battalion at Suakin, taking part in the battle of Gemaizah, for which he was again mentioned in despatches. He was on the Sudan frontier in 1889.
In 1895 he commanded the 2nd Battalion with the Chitral Relief Force under Sir Robert Low, including the storming of the Malakand Pass, the passage of the Swat River and the engagement at Panjkora. For this service he was mentioned in despatches and appointed CB. In 1897 he was in command of the 2nd Battalion in the Tirah, and the storming of the Heights of Dargai. He relinquished command in December 1898.
1868 Ensign 23 Dec
1871 Lieutenant 2 Aug
1879 Captain 12 Feb
1886 Major 17 Feb
1894 Lieutenant-Colonel 3 Dec
He fought in the South African War 1901–02 as a Brigadier-General on the staff. He was appointed ADC to the King in 1901, and Knight Commander, Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1902.
He was married twice; firstly to Helen Mary Frost, in March 1885. She died in May 1893, and Henry was secondly married to Constance Ethel Mitchell-Innes, on 28 Nov 1900.
Brigadier-General Sir Henry Grey Dixon KCB died on 13 November 1933 at the age of 83. The photo of him as Lieutenant-Colonel, CO of the 2nd Battalion, is a detail from a group photo of officers and men taken in the Tirah in 1897. The photo was published in The Frontier Ablaze: The North-West Frontier Rising 1897–98 by Michael Barthorp (Windrow & Greene 1996).
