Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/305

DIROM—DISNEY—DIXIE. Capt. Fras. John Hartwell, and on his return with convoy from St. Helena, was placed, in Sept. 1793, on board the 74, Capt. Jas. Gambier; under whom he appears to have been stunned by a splinter, while officiating in the most exposed part of the ship, during Lord Howe’s action of 1 June, 1794. On next accompanying Capt. Gambier into the 98, Mr. Dillon took part, as that officer’s Senior Midshipman, in Lord Bridport’s action with the French fleet off Ile de Groix, 23 June, 1795; subsequently to which he served, in the same ship, and in the  98, and  74, under Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian; with whom, after witnessing two terrific gales, he sailed for the West Indies, where he actively cooperated in the reduction of Ste. Lucie in May, 1796, and was sent with a flag of truce to take possession of Pigeon Island. On 20 of the following month, he became Acting-Lieutenant of the 20, Capt. Henry Lidgbird Ball; and on soon after removing to  32, Capts. Jemmet Mainwaring and Wm. Grenville Lobb, came frequently into contact with the enemy’s batteries, and on one occasion was present in an unsuccessful attack upon a squadron of French frigates lying at St. Eustatia. While in, we also find Mr. Dillon often employed as the bearer of a flag of truce to Victor Hugues, Governor of Guadeloupe, for the purpose of effecting an exchange of prisoners. He was afterwards appointed – 1 May, 1798, to the 36, Capt. Geo. Duff, under whom he creditably co-operated, with the army at Wexford, at the time of the Irish rebellion, and succeeded in arresting one of the popular chiefs – 22 April, 1799, to the 36, Capt. Wm. Grenville Lobb, on the Jamaica station – and, in 1802-3, to the 32, and  38, both commanded by Capt. Thos. Manby. During the period of his servitude in the, he assisted at the capture, 15 Nov. 1799, in sight of a Spanish line-of-battle ship and frigate, of the corvette El Galgo of 16 guns – next, in June, 1800, of La Diligence French national brig, of 12 guns and 100 men, of which he was placed in charge – and, in June, 1801, at the destruction of the British frigate , which had grounded in the Gulf of Mexico, and of a part of whose crew, who had been taken prisoners, he ultimately effected the exchange. On being sent, as Senior Lieutenant of the, with a flag of truce from Lord Keith to the Dutch Commodore Valterbuck, at Helvoetsluys, 20 July, 1803, Mr. Dillon was most unjustifiably made prisoner, and handed over to the French, by whom, in spite of every remonstrance, he was detained in captivity until Sept. 1807. On 16 Jan. 1808 (having been awarded the rank of Commander 8 April, 1805), he assumed charge, on the Leith station, of the, an old worn-out sloop, carrying 14 twelve-pounder carronades and 65 men. In that vessel, off the coast of Norway, he gallantly engaged, 14 March following, and ultimately drove off, after an action, with intervals, of six hours’ duration, the Danish man-of-war brig Lougen of 20 guns and 160 men. The, however, was so battered as but narrowly to escape foundering, and sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 8 wounded. Among the latter was Capt. Dillon, who was badly wounded in both legs, and had his arms and shoulders much contused, for which he waa presented by the Patriotic Society at Lloyd’s with a sword, valued at 100 guineas. Being rewarded for his spirited conduct with a Post commission, dated 21 March, 1808, he further joined – 8 June, 1809, pro tempore, 36, in which frigate he accompanied the expedition to the Walcheren, and there superintended the debarkation of a division of the army – 13 Sept. 1809, and 18 Aug. 1810, the  20, and  74, both employed off the coast of Holland – 28 Feb. 1811, the  50, armée en flûte, in which he took out a battalion of Guards to Cadiz, served actively off the coasts of Portugal and Spain, commanded a small squadron for the protection of Carthagena, and saved seven or eight villages in Murcia and Valencia from the ravages of the French army – 18 Jan. 1814, the  38, successively employed, until paid off in Jan. 1817, in escorting convoy to Newfoundland, protecting the whale fishery at Greenland against the Americans, cruizing off the coast of France for the interception of Buonaparte after the battle of Waterloo, and in a voyage to China – 14 April, 1818, the  46, which frigate, after another visit to India, he paid off in Oct. 1819 – and, 9 July, 1835, the  74. In that ship, which was put out of commission in Jan. 1839, Capt. Dillon during a period of 12 months rendered much service to the Spanish cause, and was afterwards employed in the Mediterranean and off Lisbon. Since the date last-mentioned, he has not been afloat. His promotion to Flag-rank took place 9 Nov. 1846.

Sir Wm. Henry Dillon (who held the office of equerry to H.R.H. the late Duke of Sussex) was nominated a 13 Jan. 1835. He received the honour of knighthood 24 June following; and obtained the Captain’s Good Service Pension 25 Jan. 1839. He has been thrice married. His second wife was Isabella, eldest daughter of John Willan, Esq., of Hatton-garden. His present wife, whom he espoused 6 June, 1843, is Elizabeth, eldest daughter of T. J. Pettigrew, Esq., of Saville-row. – Messrs. Stilwell.

 DIROM. 

, born in July, 1815, is youngest son of the late Lieut.-General Dirom, of Mount Annan, N.B.

This officer entered the Navy, 21 March, 1829, as a Volunteer, on board the 80, Capt. Patrick Campbell, on the Mediterranean station. He afterwards joined, as Midshipman, the 84,  120,  76, and  28; passed his examination in March, 1835; and from April, 1836, until the receipt of his commission, bearing date 15 March, 1841, served, as Mate, on board the  74, Capt. Fairfax Moresby, in the Mediterranean, and the  104, and  120, flag-ships at Plymouth of Sir Graham Moore. His appointments have since been – 16 March, 1841, 22 Oct. following, and 7 Sept. 1842, to the 26, Capts. Hugh Nurse and Wm. Tucker, 18, Capt. Thos. Rodney Eden, and again, Capt. Geo. Rodney Mundy, on the coast of Africa – and, 9 Nov. 1843, to the 90, Capt. Nicholas Lockyer, in which ship he is now serving.

 DISNEY. 

entered the Navy 1 Dec. 1807; passed his examination in 1815; and obtained his commission 27 March, 1826. He appears to have since been on half-pay. – Messrs. Stilwell.

 DIXIE. 

is third son of the late Rev. Beaumont Dixie, by Margaret, daughter of Rich. Shewin, Esq.; brother of Capt. Rich. Thos. Dixie, R.M.; and uncle of the present Sir Willoughby Wolstan Dixie, Bart., of Bosworth House, co. Leicester.

This officer entered the Navy, 31 Oct. 1795, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the 36, Capt. Robt. Carthew Reynolds, under whom, when in company with the 46, Capt. Sir Edw. Pellew, he was, as Midshipman, wrecked, near Ile Bas, at the close of a gallant action of 10 hours with the French 74-gun ship Les Droits de l’Homme, in which the Amazon sustained a loss of 3 men killed and 15 wounded, 14 Jan. 1797. On regaining his liberty, after 10 months of painful captivity, he rejoined Capt. Reynolds, 24 March, 1798, on board 40. In that frigate we find him attending the expedition to Holland in 1799, and then proceeding to the Mediterranean; on his passage whither he narrowly escaped capture by a powerful French squadron. In 1801 Mr. Dixie accompanied