Harold Baily Dixon

Harold Baily Dixon (11 August 1852 – 18 September 1930) was a British chemist and amateur footballer who appeared for Oxford University in the 1873 FA Cup Final.

Early life Born in Marylebone, and his obituary appears 1930 Vol75 pii.

His expertise in the chemistry behind the cause of mine explosions led him to serve on the Royal Commissions on Explosion of Coal Dust in Mines from 1891 to 1894, and on the Coal Supply from 1902 to 1905, as well as the Home Office Committee on Explosions in Mines from 1911 to 1914.

Dixon was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1886, and gave its Bakerian Lecture in 1893. He was a Fellow of the Chemical Society, serving as its president from 1909 to 1911. He was awarded the Royal Society's Royal Medal in 1913: "On the ground of his eminence in physical chemistry, especially in connexion with explosions in gases."

In 1907–08 and again in 1923–25 he was President of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.

In 1922 he was appointed Honorary Professor of Chemistry at Manchester University and supervised research on ignition of gases for the Safety in Mines Research Board in 1927.

Dixon, who made his home in Fallowfield, Manchester, died in Lytham, Lancashire on 18 September 1930, aged seventy-eight.

Football career Usually in the position of forward, Dixon played football for Westminster School in his final year 1870–71. When he started at university he was a founder member of Oxford University's Amateur Football Club at its inception on 9 November 1871. He played with them in the second competition for the FA Cup when Oxford reached the Cup Final, played at Lillie bridge, West Brompton, on 29 March 1873, losing 2–0 Wanderers. He did later play for the Wanderers, as well as at county level for Middlesex. Unlike most of his footballing university contemporaries, he did not take part in the Varsity matches which would have earned him a 'Blue'.

Other sports Dixon was a good cricketer who was in the Westminster School XI, which he captained in his final season.

He was more noticeably active in mountaineering, undertaking exploring climbs in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and was a member of the British Alpine Club, the Canadian Alpine Club, and the Rucksack Club of Manchester.

Sports honours Oxford University A.F.C.

1873 FA Cup final (runner-up).