George Dixon Batey was promoted to officer/2nd Lt. on the 9th of January, 1945.

His previous service number was 338886

He is mentioned in our article on the '400 yard dash at Escaut'

He is mentioned in the War Diary on 1 November 1944 and 25 January 1945.

He rejoined the Battalion during April 1945 after recovering from his wounds. (Borderers' Chronicle, June 1945, p.63)

Note: one record lists him as having died of wounds on 2 March 1945. This is incorrect – he was wounded that day and survived.

*We found some notes from his obituary on line (Reddit) The user has deleted their account (so we can't clear the permissions) but, for posterity, we have decided to publish them here: "As only one of four people to hold a driving licence, having passed his test in 1938 on his father's business truck, Dixon's career path in the Army was clear – transport. Proving himself on a 15 cwt truck was the start of building up the battalion transport. Dixon had to train drivers on all kinds of vehicles, so became a driving instructor, and with that, promotion to Lance Corporal. He progressed to instructing about engines, and the collection of delivery vehicles, gradually moving southwards, and becoming a Corporal and then a Sergeant.

From Manston aerodrome in Kent, Dixon witnessed hundreds of bombers passing over en route to London and then watched the Battle of Britain take place overhead.

He moved to Lowestoft, Oulton Broad and Felixstowe where in 1943 he first met Phyllis at the Sergeants' Mess Dance; they later married in 1946.

D-Day 6th June 1944 Dixon wrote:

"Paraded on deck about 6am, standing about ¾ mile offshore at Arromanches. The assault troops were heading for the beaches and we followed, fully equipped, down scramble nets to the landing craft below. Our job as beach group was to clear a way off the beach for the tanks, check for mines and move the transport through"

Dixon stayed on the beach for 6 weeks living in the sand dunes. He was transferred to 1st Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borderers and became a platoon Sergeant.

Always on the move, living in holes in the ground, Dixon was mentioned in Despatches for his company giving support to two other battalions in an assault crossing on the Escaut Canal near the Belgium–Dutch frontier, headlined "Race with Death, Longtown KOSB sergeant was third"

Promotion to 2nd Lieutenant, in the field, followed with immediate effect.

On March 1st 1945 he received news that he was going to leave 'for Blighty' but the next day he was wounded by mortar shrapnel in his left side so he was flown to hospital in Bruges.

He thought it was absolute bliss, as he hadn't slept in a bed with clean sheets for a very long time. The shrapnel remained in him.

On discharge from hospital, Dixon had to find his own way back to his unit. The Rhine had been crossed and his unit was waiting to go, so carrying just a rifle, he crossed the river.

Three weeks later he was given leave and came back to England, collecting Phyllis, en route, from Gillingham Hospital where she was a steward looking after Surgeon Rear Admiral Greerson.

On release from active service Dixon was granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant K.O.S.B.

Dixon married Phyllis on the anniversary of D Day 6th June 1946 so they have been together for 68 years.

They lived in Carlisle for 20 years, where their daughter Gaye was born, and Dixon became an Aga engineer. It was a job he loved, travelling around the Lakes and southern Scotland and meeting people from all walks of life.

Then in a change of direction – Dixon and Phyllis moved to Broadstairs where they ran a guesthouse for a while and Dixon worked in precision engineering until retirement in 1987.

In retirement, never happier than when driving, he and Phyllis have spent many, many days exploring and enjoying the Norfolk and Suffolk countryside. Dixon acquired his driving licence in 1938 and only relinquished it in January of this year thereby completing 77 years of driving and with an unblemished record.

For the last 9 years Dixon has supported Phyllis in her fund raising activities for the East Anglian Air Ambulance most weekends from Spring to Autumn driving up to 60 miles at a time across Norfolk and Suffolk. Together, in that time, they have raised around £8,850 for EAAA.

A man of honour and integrity, Dixon's word was his bond. He was quiet, modest and compassionate with a gentle sense of humour, He would help anyone, always smiling and appreciative.