Blasts from the Past: Mary Frances Dixon

Mary Frances Dixon gave out prizes at King’s for over 25 years, she served teas at school sporting fixtures and helped on school trips. After her death, a history prize was established in her name. Yet how many members of the King’s community know of her? There is not even a photograph of her in the school archive.

Mary Dixon, wife of head master Hubert Dixon, arrived at King’s with her husband and two young children in 1934. The family lived at Woodhayes, a large house on the corner of Woodhayes Road, the gardens of which backed onto the school’s cricket pitches. Bought in large part with the financial assistance of Sir Jeremiah Colman (OK 1878), Woodhayes was used for a time as the headmaster’s residence with additional accommodation for staff being created there over time. This proximity meant Mary Dixon was as much a part of school life as her husband.

During the Second World War, when the school site was damaged by falling bombs, it was Mary Dixon who personally telephoned mothers to enlist their help with the clean-up operation. After the war, long before the Friends of King’s was established in the 1970s, she and a King’s mother, Mrs Ruth, set up the ‘KCS Working Party’ which held weekly meetings at Woodhayes with the aim of raising money: ‘We are just friends of King's who wish to help the School. We bring our own tea, play ping-pong or whist, or have competitions, and make things suit­able for a sale, or do knitting and sewing for any­one who wants such work done. We are glad to receive things to sell, including School uniform for which the owner has no further use.’ In 1950, the group raised enough to give £300 towards curtains for the Great Hall, £40 towards instruments for the school orchestra and £25 towards the War Memorial Appeal.

When Mary Dixon died in February 1960, just months before her husband’s retirement, the pupil editors of the school magazine praised her cheerfulness, charm, kindness and good humour, noting that she was ‘especially at home with children, who responded instinctively to her natural goodness of heart.’ As we celebrate International Women’s Day this month, it seems a fitting a moment to pay tribute to a woman who contributed so much to King’s.

As ever, please do get in touch if you have stories to share or questions to ask: I can be contacted via email at archive@kcs.org.uk.

Lucy Inglis | School Archivist