AJ Dixon

Alfred James Dixon

AJ Dixon
Born	Alfred James Dixon 21 October 1886 St. Pancras, London
Died	21 March 1935 Frinton-on-Sea, Essex
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	motorcycle and cyclecar racing

Alfred James – Jimmy to his friends, AJ in the press of his time, managed to live his short life to the full but died early, before his full potential could be uncovered. He lived fast and he lived hard. But above all, he had fun, until cancer took over his life.

Early life

Jimmy was born 21 October 1886 in St Pancras, the son of Alfred Archer Duxon, a publican and Fanny Law, daughter of Richard Law. Richard was the publican of the Hare and Hounds in Layer Breton and had fought at the Battle of Sebastopol in the Crimea on board HMS Rodney. Educated at Ongar Academy, he completed an apprenticeship with a railway company.

After leaving school his father helped him establish his career in motorcycle racing. His father died in 1914 and Jimmy inherited enough money to enable him to concentrate only on his sport.

When war broke out in August 1914, he tried to join the Royal Flying Corps, but he was too heavy, so he joined the army as a dispatch rider. He served in France in the 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment in September 1915 but was discharged 4 May 1916 believed to be injured. He was awarded the Victory, British and Star medals. As a dispatch rider at the front, his days were spent skidding through the mud and the dust between headquarters and the trenches. A family story reports that some soldiers got together to organise a motorcycle race. Jimmy was in the lead and some Italian soldiers didn’t like this, so they threw a dog at him. He crashed and didn’t win the race. Nothing more is known of the dog.

On his return to England, he worked for Singer as an engineer in Coventry. Singer made a 10HP car and expanded the factory to make munitions. It was here that he met and married Gertrude Annie Elkington, know to her friends as Jack. Jimmy and Jack had three children - Nora, Phyllis and Alfred Patrick John (Paddy). They moved from Coventry to Enfield where he was the licensee of the White House pub. Jimmy became a Freemason at Thobalds lodge, then grand master. After the Depression they bought a confectionery business in Clacton-on-Sea.

Jimmy's motorcycling career

Jimmy competed in many events in England, France and the UK winning medals. Atkinson in his book "The Singer Story" said that "in 1912, the most successful rider was G E Stanley, but also very successful were Jimmy Crocker, W A Jacobs and a man who would later progress to driving racing cars for Singer, Arthur J Dixon Atkinson should have said Alfred J Dixon!

Jimmy was a member of the Motor Cycle Club. Motorcycling magazine of 1912 reported that "…. One of the features of the water-cooled system is that it allows a higher compression to be used than does an air cooled model. In some cases, the extra power developed by the water-cooled engine has resulted in breakage of vital parts. The 80-mile-an-hour 500cc Singer, referred to below. It is at present being tuned up at Brooklands by Mr A. J .Dixon, who is shown mounted on it. It is suggested that at present the engine is overcooked and hence has as yet failed to develop the power expected of so remarkable a machine. It has been suggested to me that the 80 mile an hour Singer water-cooled engine has not yet performed up to expectations on the track is because it is overcooled. Indeed I am told that one of the radiators has been put out of action during the latest tests and that the speed at once increased.”

Jimmy's favourite bike was a Singer 3 1/2 hp machine, but he also rode a Rudge. Some of the known events that he competed in include:

1912 - Gaillon Hill Climb (France)

1913 - Bristol Motorcycle & Motor Club: Open Hill Climb June 23rd; Milan – Torina – Bologna - Torina endurance race;

1914 - Paris - Nice – Monte Carlo Trial. He won a cup but with he outbreak of the war, he buried the cup and returned after the war to collect it. Midland Cycling and Athletic Club 24 hour trial race. And he took part in the Herts County A.C in January riding a Rudge.

Jimmy's cyclecar career

The purpose of a cyclecar was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car, placing the engine of the first into a construct used by the second. It was a budget experience that bloomed … for a while. The first cycle cars appeared in 1910. In 1911 the number of cyclecar manufacturers was less than a dozen in Britain and in France. By 1914, there were over 100 manufacturers in each country, as well as others in Germany, Austria, and other European countries, and in the United States.

At the 1912 Cycle and Motor Cycle Show, Singer unveiled its new baby car to the world. Atkinson states that “This new car was of very lightweight construction, weighing just 6cwt and was capable of both 40 mpg and 40mph. The was probably the first vehicle successfully designed and constructed along the lines of a conventional car, but which was in essence a “cyclecar”. A cyclecar,, according to the Auto Cycle Union had an engine of less than 1100cc in a car which weighed less than 7 cwt.” , Atkinson stated that the Singer 10 was the first really practical light car.

Jimmy threw himself into the cyclecar movement, joining the Cyclecar Club and he bought his own car - a Coventry Premier, made by Singer.

Some of the events that he competed in were:

1921 London to Land’s End Trial Jimmy took part in this trial in his Singer 10HP. Atkinson wrongly names him Arthur Dixon, but was in fact AJ Dixon. This was the only Singer in the race. But Atkinson gives a fascinating account of the race. “On arriving at Lynton, they had precisely two minutes to complete the climb. The surface conditions of which were atrocious. The combination of an appalling surface and the severe gradient proved too much for the Singer. Jimmy only managed 15 mph, so only got a silver medal.

1921 Midlands Light Car Club 1 day Reliability Trial This race was held 23rd April 1912 Atkinson reports that it started at the Austin factory at Longbridge in Birmingham and proceeded south through Worcestershire to the Malvern Hills. Jimmy and his friend and mechanic R. Croucher entered in a Coventry Premier three—wheeler. Jimmy received a silver medal because he faltered on the old Wyche cutting when he failed to climb the 1 in 2.9 hill.

1921 200 mile race at Brooklands This race was the first of its kind and was organised by the Junior Car Club and was held in October . The JCC had originally been called the Cyclecar Club and had been formed in 1912. Today it called the British Automobile Racing Club. The Junior Car Club organised the first long-distance race to be held in Britain, which was ultimately won by Henry Segrave.

This was the first long-distance race held England, for Brooklands, in spite of its fourteen summers, had seen nothing like it. The actual distance was to be 901 miles 189 yards, and there were to be two classes, up to 1,100 cc and 1101-1500 cc, with cups for the winners and a great gold cup presented by T. B. Andre; for the entrant of the car making fastest time of all. The starters were to be drawn up at the Fork in four lines, the first row leaving at mid-day, the remaining rows being flagged off at intervals. Cars allocated to the first row were to sport at least two feet of yellow paint on their bonnets, those in the second row red, those in the third - green, and those unfortunates in the last row white. Mechanics had to be carried and they, alone, could assist the driver at the pits. Jimmy finished 4th in his class. This was also the first race in which he drove a 4 wheeled car. Before this time he driven the 3 wheeled Singer.

Atkinson said that “another Singer works entry was that of the Coventry Premier driven by Arthur (we know this should read Alfred) Dixon”. So if it was a works entry, that would indicate that Jimmy was part of the Singer company. He goes on to explain that “Dixon’s car, which wore a number 8 for the race was basically standard even down to it’s disk wheels. A Goodwin was the mechanic for Dixon. Dixon managed to take his car the full distance, finishing a highly creditable fourth place at an average speed of 55 mph." Austin Harris has two excellent photographs of the race. Jimmy's car is number 8.

1922 Land’s End Trial Both Jimmy and Croucher entered this event with their Coventry Premiers. “McNeile in his Singer had problems at Beggar’s Roost where he collided with the bank. On restarting, he selected reverse instead of second gear and shot off backwards don the hill. He made another attempt to climb while pressurizing the fuel tank by blowing into a tube. The tube came off and sprayed petrol into his eyes. Despite this he managed to carry on driving and was eventually assisted over the steepest part. The Motor described this as the “hardest trial yet”” . Jimmy did not manage to finish

1923 Colmore Cup The Colmore Cup was organised by Sutton Coldfield and N Birmingham AC, popularly known as SUNBAC. It was primarily an event for motorcycles, it also included classes for 3-wheelers and for cars up to 1100cc. It was held on 24 Feb 1923. Atkinson tells us that Jimmy drove a 10hp Singer and Bicknell a 10hp Coventry Premier “Both made good climbs up such tests as Sainsbury Hill and it was not until they reached Rising Sun Hill that they had problems. On this hill (the most severe test of all the hills) they had to do a stop and restart test. In all Dixon stopped four times but managed to get away with assistance, whereas Bicknell stopped and had to be pushed to restart. As a result, Dixon was awarded the silver medal and Bicknell had to be satisfied with a bronze.”

Austin Harris has an excellent photo of Jimmy leading the chase up The driver of the Talbot was a bloke with a great name – T. P. Manifold!!! Atkinson believes that the Austin Harris photo in this link is of Jimmy's car

1923 Land’s End Trial This event was always held on the Easter weekend. This year was a drier occasion than usual and Jimmy drove really well and won a gold medal. The engine was a four-cylinder unit of 1096 cc initially with side valves but changing to overhead valves in 1923. The three speed transmission was initially located with the rear axle but moved to the centre of the car in 1922 and from 1923 was in-unit with the engine. The chassis had rigid axles front and rear with semi-elliptic leaf springs until 1922 when they changed to quarter elliptic. Braking was on the rear wheels only. A basic version of the car was sold under the Coventry Premier brand in 1923 . 1924 Colmore Cup We know Jimmy was an entrant in the 1924 Colmore Cup because Atkinson reports that “Dixon had an excellent trial and did not even bother to fit non-skid chains to his tyres, unlike most competitors.” Bushcombe Hill gave most competitors a hard time. As did the Rising Sun Hill. But not Jimmy.

1924 Land’s End Trial Held at Easter, Jimmy was unable to finish as his Singer 10 sheared a key in the rear axle almost as soon as he started - on the start line in Slough.

1924 RAC Small Car Trial Singer entered two cars to be driven by Dixon and Bicknell in this trial in Wales, but at the last minute both cars were withdrawn shortly before the race with no explanation.

Jimmy's final days

Jimmy retired from professional racing after 1924 to concentrate on running the family confectioners shop in Clacton-on-Sea. But he kept his hand in. He was a close friend of Alan Cobham and took part in Sir Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus when it came to Clacton. Paddy his son, remembers seeing Jimmy walking on the wings of an Avro 5504K biplane.

Jimmy joined the Clacton Chamber of Commerce and was appointed president in 1931. Jimmy was a chain smoker and consumed a great deal of alcohol and he developed stomach cancer. The last two years of his life were painful and he lived on morphine and brandy. He died 21 March 1935 in Frinton and is buried at Kirby Cross cemetary.