Gail Dixon
Gail Dixon is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
Recent articles by Gail Dixon
I discovered my great great grandmother was forced by poverty to place her illegitimate son in the workhouse
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Peta McCauley shares the story of her great great grandmother Elizabeth Measey
My father never spoke about his war… but I discovered he could have been at the liberation of Belsen
Stephen King's parents ran a sweet making business and lived through the Second World War and the Blitz in Southend-on-Sea
I discovered my great aunt was a renowned artist who painted portraits of Battle of Britain pilots
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Rebecca Blacker Jones shares the story of her great aunt Elva Blacker, a celebrated war artist
It took 42 years, but a DNA test revealed the truth about my elusive great grandfather
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Rosemary Wilmot reveals how she found out more about her great grandfather George Gray
“If my 3x great grandfather was an inch taller, he would have been killed at sea in 1813”
David Joy discovered his ancestor Edward Rexworthy rose through the ranks in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars
“Nine-year-old James’ guardians attached a label to him and put him on a one-way train journey alone”
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Jan Marshall discovered her missing relative James Robinson's difficult upbringing
My relative earned medals for bravery in the First World War and was one of the first men to drive a tank
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader David Stokes discovered his relative George Harrington drove a tank in the First World War
I discovered what happened to my grandmother’s missing half-sister after their mother died
Victor Nutt discovered that his great grandmother, grandmother and great aunt all overcame hardship in Victorian England
My father’s carpentry genius was crucial to Allied surveillance in Burma in the Second World War
David Cunningham used his carpentry skills to build crates for airdropping radios into occupied Burma during the Second World War
I discovered my ancestor was a suffragist who campaigned for women and the working class
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Erica Ward talks about her ancestor Eleanor Grizzell, who was a suffragist and Sheffield councillor
My grandfather lost his eye after being shot in the forehead on the Western Front
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Jon Gliddon discovered his grandfather Herman Pike lost an eye in the First World War
My ancestor rose from poverty to wealth in 18th century Britain by morally suspect means
Jean Thomson's 3x great grandfather William Jones was born in poverty in Wales and rose to be a lawyer and prison marshal in London
My great grandfather played for Arsenal, stood for Parliament and set a cycling record
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Graham Sheppard shares the astonishing story of his great grandfather John
My grandfather was abandoned at an orphanage in Italy. Over a century later, I discovered the truth
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Paula Daily explains how she traced her Italian-American immigrant grandfather's origins
A newspaper article revealed that my ancestor died saving his wife and children in an accident
Nigel Ellis discovered that his great great uncle Samuel Scarff died saving his wife and children from a runaway horse
A rags-to-riches rise, a knighthood and a missing daughter: My ancestor’s astonishing life
In his family history research, Graham Ashdown unearthed a connection to Curtis Ashdown, a shipping magnate who was knighted by George V
Newspaper articles revealed my relative died in a First World War prison camp after the Armistice was signed
Maxine Foley Speakman shares how she discovered the story of her distant cousin Herbert Bolton's death in a First World War prison camp
I discovered forgotten documents that solved the 19th century murder of a sailor
Hazel Garas discovered that her 3x great grandfather William Ross was a witness to the suspected murder of his brother-in-law on board a ship
I used a DNA test to solve a paternity mystery – and discovered I’m related to William Shakespeare
William Mundy took an Ancestry DNA test to find the identity of his 4x great grandfather - and discovered he's related to William Shakespeare
Born in the workhouse in County Durham, my great grandmother lost her parents, daughter and husband
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Tommylee Smith shares the story of his great grandmother Charlotte Davison's life
My ancestor endured the ‘Starving Time’ as one of the first European settlers in Virginia
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Margaret Rice's ancestor Henry Bagwell was among the first European settlers in Virginia 1609
I used a DNA test to find my ancestor’s father – and discovered a tragic tale of lunacy in the 19th century
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Mandy Webb reveals how she used a DNA test to discover her great grandmother's father
My ancestor survived storms, shipwrecks, an attack from a French warship, and fell overboard several times
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Janice Oliver discovered her ancestor Thomas Oliver served at sea during the Napoleonic Wars
My husband’s grandparents’ letters revealed how their romance flourished despite racism
Sally George found old letters revealing how her husband's grandparents fell in love and married in England in 1926 despite racism