Gail Dixon
Gail Dixon is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
Recent articles by Gail Dixon
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
My great grandfather was trapped on his ship in a storm while his wife was giving birth to their first child
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Barry Maguire shares the remarkable story of his great grandfather Charles Jones
I reunited two families a century after a tragic double drowning brought them together
Jennie Long and Steve Fowler reunited their families a century after Steve's great uncle drowned rescuing Jennie's
I discovered the story of my grandfather’s service with Winston Churchill in the Sudan
Jennifer Anderson discovered that her grandfather Arthur Randle served with Winston Churchill at the Battle of Omdurman
I discovered my ‘Peaky Blinder’ ancestor brutally killed an old woman in 1890s Birmingham
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Bobbie Adams reveals how her relative James Twitty committed a shocking killing
I found an old photo album in an antiques shop… and set out to find out who the people were
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Rita Boswell reveals how she traced the stories behind a photo album she found in an antiques shop
My heroic relative risked being buried alive to save his brothers in a mining accident
Family historian Marion Nash reveals how she discovered that her distant cousin John McCabe saved 48 men in the Stanrigg mining disaster
In 18th century England, a couple had an illicit affair… and they have 6,000 descendants
Family historian Jenny Cross reveals how she discovered that her ancestor was a married woman who had an affair in the 17th century
My ancestors spied for British intelligence on the Scandinavian coastline in the First World War
Andrew Bradley reveals how his relatives Walter and Hugh Archer spied on the German navy for Britain in the First World War