Private Stafford Wilson

Private Stafford Wilson. Otago Regiment, New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He was killed in action in France on 15th September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, aged 29. He was the son of Margaret and the late John Wilson of Tweedmouth and is buried in Caterpillar Vally Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, France. He had emigrated to New Zealand in 1909 with his friend Sergeant William Hope who was wounded in the same action.. The autumn rains and the incessant shelling turned the chalky soil of the Region into a glutinous quagmire which made movement very difficult as can be seen from the photographs. The colour image shows a peaceful Somme landscape today.