Lt Hugh May Fixsen

[Perth Digger]

Can anyone give me any details of Hugh May Fixsen, RN, who was interned in Holland by 1915, please?

Thanks

Mike

[horatio2]

Sub Lieutenant RNVR (not RN), interned in October 1914 while serving in Benbow Battalion of the Royal Naval Division at the Defence of Antwerp.

RND record card here:-   https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7278514    and an RNVR record here:-   https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7715612

1914 Star & Clasp issued to Party 1/7/1920

Records of earlier RN officer seervice here:-    https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_fn=&_ln=fixsen&discoveryCustomSearch=true&_cr1=ADM+196&_col=200&_dt=RN&_hb=tna

 

 

Edited 13 June , 2022 by horatio2

[JWK]

From left to right: Thomas Rainey, Col. Vreedenburg, and Hugh May ("Fix") Fixsen, at Urk Internmentcamp.

 

He played cricket for Vitesse (Arnhem). In at least one game he was instrumental in them winning the game.

On 31st August 1916 he received a silver medal from the club as a souvenir of his time with the club. His wife received a bouquet of flowers.

 

Jenny Augusta Celina Ghislaine Monnom, born in Namur/Belgium, wife of Hugh May Fixsen, died in the Hague-Scheveningen on 12 January 1917, aged 24 yrs!

They lived in Scheveningen at the time.

Edited 13 June , 2022 by JWK

[JWK]

This post tells of an escape(attempt) from Groningen:

 

 

 

Edited 13 June , 2022 by JWK

[JWK]

A Google Books snippet view of the book by Mandy van Dijk ( Duivelseiland ) states that Ltn Fixsen “had an altercation with a local youth”

The mayor of Urk (Mr. A.Grevestein) explained in a “letter to the editor” of de Telegraaf of 13th January 1916:

Quote

 

[Edited and compressed by me]

Announcement

As a result of complaints received by us, we refer to our announcement of 28 December 1914, in which it is forbidden to follow the interned officers obstructively, to treat them unkindly, to shout unkind words at them, or to harass them in any other way.

Urk, 29 November 1915

The Mayor of Urk, (Signed A.Gravestein)

 

This announcement was published by me (= Grevestein) in reaction to a complaint by an Urk boy who, by mistake, was treated rather harshly by one of the English officers. It was determined later that the boy was totally innocent, after which the officer chivalrously offered his apologies.

 

Whole story, in Dutch in De Telegraaf of 13 January 1916

Another snippet view reveals that "Fix" was one the officers accompanying Rainey for a walk, when Rainey suddenly jumped  in the water and "swam for two hours" escaping the island.

 

And picture of the Vitesse Cricketclub in 1916:

(Is that him: standing, 9th from the left?)

From De Revue der Sporten, 21 June 1916

[seaJane]

Searching around to try and discover whether this officer was related to the John Andrew Fixsen who was my orthopaedic surgeon in 1973-76, I found a lady called Edith Cavell Fixsen (1920-1973).

[PRC]

40 minutes ago, seaJane said:

John Andrew Fixsen who was my orthopaedic surgeon in 1973-76,

Obituary for him here on the Royal College of Surgeons website - born 1934, (so probably rules out Edith Cavell Fixsen as the mother!), brought up Altrincham, did his National Service in the Navy, died 2014. https://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/client/en_GB/lives/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ASSET$002f0$002fSD_ASSET:378152/one?qu="rcs%3A+E005969"&rt=false|||IDENTIFIER|||Resource+Identifier

I would have thought he would almost certainly be a closed record on the 1939 Register, so I can only assume someone had paid to have it opened as there are three Fixsen's recorded at Altrincham, one being the 1934 born John A.

Image courtesy FindMyPast.

Someone with subscription access to either FindMyPast or Ancestry may be able to see more information.

The birth of a Bernard Augustine Fixsen, mothers' maiden name May, was registered with the civil authorities in the Knighton District of Radnorshire in the October to December quarter, (Q4), of 1893. Among the other children registered with the surname Fixsen, mothers' maiden name May in the same district there is a Hugh May Fixsen  -  April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1891. His Royal Navy service records shows a date of birth of the 2nd February 1891, so it looks like his birth was actually registered late - I'm not seeing an alternative candidate in the civil records for England & Wales.

The 1901 Census of England and Wales shows a 10 year old Hugh M. Fixsen and a 7 year old Bernard A. Fixsen, both born Bucknell, Shropshire, who were recorded living with their parents John, a Clergyman, and Alice, 5 siblings and 3 live in servants at The Vicarage, Bucknell. The census enumerator has noted that the address comes under the Knighton Civil Registration District for Births, Marriages and Deaths.

So in answer to the question it looks like your surgeon was the nephew of Hugh May Fixsen.

Hope that helps,
Peter

[Perth Digger]

Thanks everyone for your inputs, especially the photos.

Mike

[seaJane]

23 hours ago, PRC said:

your surgeon was the nephew of Hugh May Fixsen.

Thank you Peter! Most kind of you to look him up for me. Given that John went into surgery I was wondering if there was a medical interest in the family earlier (hence the Edith Cavell name).

For interest, Bernard Augustine Fixsen was in the Rifle Brigade, originally as a Second Lieutenant and eventually as a Captain. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=Bernard+fixsen+WO&_sd=&_ed=&_hb=.

[stiletto_33853]

On 14/06/2022 at 23:29, seaJane said:

For interest, Bernard Augustine Fixsen was in the Rifle Brigade, originally as a Second Lieutenant and eventually as a Captain. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=Bernard+fixsen+WO&_sd=&_ed=&_hb=.

Indeed he was, going overseas for a month with the 10th RB, leaving the 10th on 31/8/15 returning to the UK on 7/9/15 sick, suffering from a motor cycle accident in February 1914 where he fractured his skull. He never went overseas again and was placed in the 14th Reserve battalion, 19th TRB and the 51st Rifle Brigade.

 

Andy