Corporal Walter Halliday

Corporal Walter Herriot Halliday, 53rd Battalion, Machine Gun Corps. He was killed in Belgium near Langemarck on 22nd October 1917, aged 30, during the Battle of Third Ypres. He was the son of Margaret and the late Robert Halliday formerly of Swinton Quarter farm, Berwickshire and had been born in Whitsome. Before enlisting he had worked as an under gamekeeper at Clifton Park and was living with his siblings at Tofts Cottage, Morebattle. He had been married to Isabella Renwick  but she had died  whilst he had been in training. He had originally enlisted in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in November 1914  before going to France in April 1916 and being transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. He is buried in Cement House Cemetery, Flanders, Belgium and his Headstone is inscribed ” God Is Love”. The M.G.C used the Vickers Mk1 water cooled machine gun in both defensive and offensive roles and the photograph shows machine gunners in position and the atrocious state of the battlefield.