Corporal John McVeigh

Corporal John McVeigh, 1st/7th ( Territorial ) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He was killed in action in Belgium on 5th July 1915, aged 19. He was the son of John and Frances McVeigh of 12 Foundry Cottages, Tweedmouth and is buried in St Quentin Cabaret Military Cemetery, Flanders, Belgium. His Headstone is inscribed ” Safe In The Arms Of Jesus”. At this time the Battalion held front line trenches near Wulverghem and Private McVeigh killed by a sniper. Before the War he had been employed as an assistant baker with Messrs Simpson of West Street, Berwick-upon-Tweed. The photograph shows the impressive Memorial raised to commemorate the 50th ( Northumbrian ) Division of which the Battalion was part until February 1918. It was erected near to the village of Weiltje nearby to where the Division had fought its first action of the War on 26th April 1915 at the Battle of St. Julien only days after landing on the Continent.