RIXON, George Vincent
| Service Number: | 87 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 September 1880, Enlisted at Rosehill, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1880 |
| Home Town: | Darlington , New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 3 May 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Sep 1880: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 87, 13th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Rosehill, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 87, 13th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 87, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne |
Help us honour George Vincent Rixon's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Husband of Isabella Rixon of 6 Cleveland Street, Darlington, NSW. Later re-married and known as Isabella Bryan of Auckland, NZ
Father of Kenneth Kellar Rixon and Vincent Victor Rixon
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by John Oakes
George Vincent RIXON was born in Sydney (according to his Attestation Paper) on 17th September 1880 (according to his NSW Government Railways and Tramways record card, but with no proof of age). There is no record of the birth of anyone with this name, or plausible alternatives, in NSW (or New Zealand) at or close to that date. However, there is a record of a George V Rixon whose birth was registered at Newcastle, NSW, in 1875. It appears that he lowered his age by five years to qualify for enlistment.
According to the New Zealand electoral roll, in 1900 George Vincent Rixon was living in Auckland, New Zealand, and his occupation was ‘mill hand’. The 1905-06 New Zealand electoral roll shows that he was then living in Tangitiki with his wife Isabella (née Gibb) and his occupation was ‘gum digger’ (these were people who dug for kauri gum, a fossilised resin used mainly in varnish). He married Isabella in New Zealand in 1901 and they had two sons. The elder son was Kenneth Keller Rixon (birth registered at Onehunga, New Zealand, in 1908) and the younger son was Vincent Victor Rixon (born in Auckland in July 1912).
On 20th0 September 1914 he joined the NSWGR&T as a tram conductor (casual) in Sydney. Five days later, on 25th September 1914, he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He joined the AIF on 26th September 1914. He was posted to the 13th Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private (Service Number 87). He nominated his wife as his next of kin, and their family home was at Darlington in Sydney. At this time the upper age limit for the AIF was 38. With a birth date of 1880 he was 34 but with a birth date of 1875 he would have been 39 and, hence, too old to join the military.
He embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT A38 ‘Ulysses’ with the 13th Infantry Battalion at Melbourne on 22nd December 1914. The Battalion arrived in Egypt in February 1915. On 12th April 1915 George embarked to join the Gallipoli campaign. The 13th Infantry Battalion landed at Anzac Cove late in the afternoon of 25th April 1915. From May to August 1915 the Battalion was heavily involved in consolidating and defending the front line. It was early in this period, on 3rd May 1915, that he was killed in action.
The site of George’s grave is unknown, and he is commemorated at the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey. His place of association in Australia is Darlington, Sydney, NSW.
After his death his widow was granted a pension of £52 per annum and his sons Kenneth and Vincent were each granted a pension of £13 per annum (later amended to £1 per fortnight for Kenneth and 15 shillings per fortnight for Vincent), all with effect from 17th June 1915. His widow had re-married by August 1921 and was living in Auckland; she died in New Zealand in 1958.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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