Private John Haig

Private John Haig, 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment, New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He was killed in action in France during the Battle of the Somme on 15th September 1916, aged 29. He had been born in Chirnside and was the son of the late James and Margaret Craig of Chirnside Station, Chirnside and is buried in Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Somme, France. Before the war he was a tailor to trade and had emigrated to New Zealand where he worked as a horse driver at Hawkes Bay, North Island. He was well known as a good footballer and had played for Chirnside and Berwick Rangers on special occasions.  The autumn rains turned the ground into a glutinous quagmire which made movement of men and guns very difficult as can be seen from the photographs. The colour photo shows part of the Battlefield today with its gently rolling hills.