In Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Iraq, is the Commonwealth War Grave of 31158 Private John Rogerson Mackay, serving with the 14th (Kings) Hussars, who died 30/12/1917.
In St. Marys Churchyard is a family headstone which reads:
In loving memory of
Jane
beloved wife of Alexander Mackay
who died July 27 1921 aged 65 years
Also their sons
Pte. A. Mackay 23/N.F.
who fell in France
July 1st 1916 aged 22 years
Tpr. J.R. Mackay, 14th Kings Hussars
who died at Basra
Dec. 30th 1917 aged 28 years.
also the above
Alexander Mackay
died Feb. 3rd 1943, aged 86 years.
Also A.B. Jack Mackay Tyrie, R.N.
grandson of the above, who was
accidently drowned at Singapore
on June 18th 1946, aged 20 years.
He was the son of Alexander and Jane Mackay, and the husband of Dorothy Wood (formerly Mackay), of Highthorne, Cresswell. He was born at Morpeth.
Colin McMillan has provided the following:
John Rogerson Mackay’s birth was registered in the Jul-Aug-Sep quarter of 1889. In 1891 when still just 1 year old he was the youngest child of 34 year old Morpeth born Alexander MacKay, a grocer’s warehouse man and cartman, and 35 year old Jane MacKay of Newcastle. John had a 3 year old sister, Nora. There were two other people living with them at the time: 16 year old Joseph R Dixon who was the head of the household’s cousin working as a grocer’s assistant, and Lucy E Davison, a 21 year old nurse. The family’s address was 1 Corporation Square, Morpeth.
By 1901 it was only the members of the family living together and two more members had joined: Nance MacKay was then 10 and Alexander MacKay was 7. They were both born in Morpeth and were all living at the same address as ten years previously.
In 1911 all the children were still living together and all were working. Nora (23) worked as a shop assistant in a sweet shop, John (21) was an ostler, Nance (20) was a dressmaker’s assistant and Alexander worked as a farm labourer. It is possible that they had moved house as their address was given as 8 Corporation Square.
John served as 31158 Trooper MacKay John R., and died on 30th December 1917. He was married and his widow later remarried. She was then Dorothy Wood and was living at Cresswell when the CWGC were publishing their lists.
John’s brother Alexander also died
Morpeth Herald 18/01/1918 carries a brief obituary:
ROLL OF HONOUR
MACKAY.- Died at Basra, Persian Gulf, on December 30th, 1917, Private John R. Mackay, aged 28 years, 14th Kings Hussars, dearly beloved husband of Dorothy Mackay, and son of Alexander and Jane Mackay, Morpeth.
John Rogerson Mackay is remembered in Cresswell on C64.01, in Morpeth on M17.01 and M17.09 and possibly on M17.02 and M17.29
