Private John Haggarty

Private John Haggarty, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. He was killed in action in France on 13th November 1916 During the Battle of The Somme, aged 31. He was the son of Mr and Mrs Haggarty of 40 Newtown Street, Duns and the husband of Mary Haggarty of West Barns, Dunbar. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval, France. He fell in a failed attack on the German stronghold of Serre a village which had been a first day objective on the first day of the battle on 1st July. The battalion suffered 201 casualties including 5 Officers killed. Before enlisting he was employed as a butcher with Messrs Miller and Son of Golden Square, Duns and had enlisted under the Derby Scheme. He left a widow and a small daughter. The photograph shows a recently captured trench on the Somme with the chalk soil of the Region very evident. This soil would turn into a glutinous quagmire in the autumn rains making all movement very difficult as can be seen from the photographs. The colour image shows a peaceful Somme landscape today with ” no gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now”.