Second Lieutenant John Richardson

Second Lieutenant John Richardson, 23rd Battalion, ( 4th Tyneside Scottish ), Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in action in France on 9th September 1917, aged 23, and is buried in Hargicourt British Cemetery, Aisne, France. He was the son of Mr. P. Richardson of 66 Church Street, Berwick. He was killed by a sniper after the successful assault on the German positions in ” Farm trench ” and ” Railway trench “. There were few casualties during the attack but as the day wore on enemy shelling and sniper fire increased the list of casualties. He fell whilst showing the Colonel , who was also wounded, around the captured trenches. As a Territorial he had been mobilised on the outbreak of War and was promoted  Sergeant before going to France in April 1915. He afterwards was further promoted to Company Sergeant Major in the Machine Gun Corps and was wounded four months later. In  June 1917 he was given a commission in the Fusiliers, his old Regiment.  Before the War he had been a keen runner with the Berwick Harriers and had won several sprints.